Big Brother
by teenagejustice
Summary: Since when does Dick Grayson have a little sister? Rated for language and future chapters.
1. Meeting the Family

_**A/N: Hello my fellow writers! This might turn into a multi chapter thing, and if it does it'll be a series of oneshots. All of this takepopulace in Season 1. Enjoy!**_

_**And a special thanks to Scotty1609 for answering a few questions for me! The help was very much appreciated!**_

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Ever have one of those days where you feel like everything you know is ripped out from under your feet?

Dick Grayson's had a day like that before. The day his parents died. His whole world fell out from under him and didn't become solid again until after Bruce and Alfred came into his life. But that was a long time ago, and he hasn't had one of those days since.

Not until Alfred lead a teenage girl into Bruce's private study.

"Apologies for the interruption, Sirs." The Englishman said in an even voice. "I believe you need to speak to this young lady."

"Thank you, Alfred." The elderly gentleman nodded to the billionaire and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Bruce gestured for the girl to sit in the vacant chair next to the one Dick was sitting, which she did without protest. The acrobat silently looked her over. She looked like she was roughly thirteen years old and a little short for her age. She was wearing dark flare jeans and a pair of 4-inch black wedge boots. She had on a black hoodie that was a bit too big for her, the hood flipped over her head and shadowing her face. She was sitting forward in the leather chair, her back straight and her hands in her lap.

Bruce also studied her with steady blue eyes. "You can relax," he said cautiously.

She shook her head. "Where I came from, you have perfect manners and perfect posture or you don't make it through a month."

That caught them both off guard. What kind of place had she come from? Dick just blinked a few times and continued to stare at her, while Bruce leaned back in his own seat and laced his fingers. "Is there a reason you're here?" The older man asked.

She turned her head, and Dick could have sworn that she was staring straight at him. "I'm here to see my brother."

Dick was sure he had never heard silence sound quite so loud before. He glanced at Bruce, whose icy blue stare was locked unwaveringly on her. She slipped something out of her pocket, leaned forward, and slid a piece of paper across the desk to Bruce. He wordlessly unfolded it and studied it before passing it to Dick.

It was a picture of his family. His mom and dad were standing next to one another and smiling, each holding a baby. John was holding Dick, wrapped up in a powder blue blanket. Mary was cradling a child wrapped up in a light pink blanket with a little baby hat on. He glanced up at the girl. "Is that you?"

She nodded. "We're fraternal twins- you're older by three minutes. About six months after this was taken someone broke into our parent's trailer. They took me from the crib and brought me overseas to the U.S. I jumped from city to city before they put me in Gotham. They were going to raise me to be a prostitute, but the GCPD raided their hideout a few days before I turned eight."

"Did they…" Dick trailed off.

"No. The worst they ever did was hit me. A lot." She rubbed her shoulder as if remembering an old injury. "Commissioner Gordon had my DNA run since I didn't know my parents and sent me with a foster family. It took longer than expected; they kept widening the search because I wasn't in their systems. The family was nice; the only issue was they had an alcohol problem." She swallowed nervously. "The one time I ever saw them both sober it was my birthday. They took me to the circus. We were sitting a few rows behind you Mr. Wayne."

"So you were in the audience?"

"Yes sir. I saw everything happen." She took a shaky breath. "When the Commissioner got a match for my DNA, he found out about the family's alcohol thing. I stayed with him and Barbra for a week until I was taken in by another family."

"Did he tell you?"

"No sir."

"I'd like to run a DNA test, to be sure."

"Whatever you think is best, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce nodded and went to the door, calling down the stairs, "Alfred, bring up a blood test kit!" Said butler entered the room a minute later with the needed tools.

"Where have you been all this time?" Dick asked as Alfred started preparing to extract blood.

"For a month I jumped around from home to home until the last one. I was there for five years."

"This will pinch." Alfred said as he stuck the needle in her arm.

"Did you stay because you liked it there?"

"God no. I stayed because I was forced to. There were thirteen or fourteen girls just like me there. Terrible place. The only good thing there was the gymnasium."

"If I may," Alfred said as he taped a piece of cotton over the needle hole. "What did they do exactly?"

"You had a day to learn what was expected of you. After that you were perfect or you were beaten. Perfect manners, perfect posture, like we were dolls in a dollhouse. I actually, um, still have a couple of the bruises." She rolled up one of her sleeves, revealing purple and blue patches of skin on her arm and faint thin scars across her wrist. Bruce sucked in a harsh breath and Dick's hands tightened into fists. Alfred made a sound of disapproval in the back of his throat.

The Englishman tapped the desk. "Master Bruce, we should get this tested."

The playboy snapped out of his angry trance and stood. "Right. You two stay here, we'll be back."

Both teens nodded as the two older men left the room. Dick tapped one of the slender white lines snaking across her exposed wrist. "Want to explain that to me?"

She rubbed the scar, her gaze dropping. "Took blade out of my razor. It was fix, I'm not suicidal."

The Boy Wonder nodded, choosing to drop the subject. "You mentioned a gym earlier."

"Yeah. It was amazing. All the equipment you could want. Parallel bars, uneven bars, rings, anything you could dream of. The place was heaven, especially after I found out about our parents."

"So you've had training?"

"I trained myself. I'm not quite on your level, but I'm close." She rubbed her elbow. "That was something I was hoping you could help with. After we get to know each other a little better, I mean. That and…"

"And?" Dick prodded gently.

She looked up at him. "Eu pot vorbi Română bine, dar aş dori să fie un pic mai fluent. poţi să mă ajuţi?"_ 'I can speak Romanian well, but I would like to be a little more fluent. Can you help me?'_

Dick's jaw dropped. "But… you were… how did you learn Romanian?"

"I have my ways."

"Do I want to know?"

"No."

"Okay then. How did you escape?"

"I found a ventilation shaft. Had laser beams, booby traps, the works. Took every ounce of skill I had to get out. Once I did, though, I came straight here. Even got a little help from a kid on the streets. Not a bad guy."

"Who was he?"

"Said his name was Jason. Couldn't have been much older than five. Gave me a hand when I got lost."

"Oh." At that moment Bruce poked his head through the doorway. Both teens looked at him expectantly.

"We ran the DNA against yours, Dick. It's a close match, one only siblings have. She is who she says."

"Told you." She muttered under her breath, making Dick laugh. He was starting to like this girl.

The teen took a deep breath and stretched out a hand for her hood. Time to come face to face with his fraternal twin. She shrunk away from his hand, like she was afraid he was going to hurt her. "Can I?" He gestured to her hood.

It took a few seconds for her to figure out what he meant. She nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, go ahead."

The aerialist reached and gently pulled the warm black fabric from her face. He took a sharp breath, and she pulled the sweatshirt off.

She was the spitting image of his- their mother. Rich red hair* tumbled in loose curls down her shoulders, a few strands falling into her eyes. She had on a white sleeveless top with a cowl neckline. With the exception of a few bruises she had a flawless tan just like his. But it was her eyes that caught his attention. The irises were a deep green, shining in the lighting. But they looked so… dead. No emotion, no nothing was reflected in her emerald orbs. Even the Joker's eyes had some kind of feeling to them; the light of a crazed murderer. But hers where empty, completely devoid of anything.

"Your… your eyes." Dick managed to stammer out.

She brushed her hair out of her face. "Yeah. Happens when someone's as jaded as me."

"You never told us your name," Bruce said, leaning casually against the doorframe. Well, as casually as possible when you're the goddamn Batman.

"Serafina."

"Well Serafina, do you want to stay with us?"

She cocked her head to the side. "That isn't why I came."

"I know. But if you want to-"

"You can stay with us!" Dick interrupted. "We can get to know each other and go watch movies together and I can introduce you to Wally and we can prank Bruce-"

"Hey!"

"-and we can-"

"Okay, okay." She held her hands up in surrender. "I'll stay."

"SWEET!" Dick jumped up and did a fist pump before grabbing Serafina's hand and dragging her off to show her the Manor. Bruce chuckled as Alfred walked into the room.

"Alfred, prepare another room please. Serafina is going to be staying with us."

"Delightful Sir. I shall make her room and put a batch of cookies in the oven."

The playboy nodded as the older man strolled off to fulfill his tasks. He sat down in the chair where the redheaded girl had been just moments before. He had two Grayson's on his hands now. If she was anything like her brother, this was going to be interesting.

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**_* - This isn't red as in the kind of orangey red that Wally has. This more like a crimson._**

**_A/N: Hope you guys liked it. Be sure to let me know in a review if you would like me to continue this as a series. See y'all soon!_**


	2. Movies, Alleys, and Psychotic Clowns

_**A/N: Okay! This story was very popular, so I've decided to continue it! Be forewarned, there is cursing in this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews!**_

_**Shout out to JasonTodd'sLove, there will most likely be some Richard angst at some point in the future, and yes that was a reference to Jason Todd. I've gotten some great suggestions, and I'll start using them next chapter, so keep the ideas coming. Enjoy the chapter y'all!**_

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"Hey Serafina!"

The redhead glanced up to see her brother leaning in the doorway of her room. She had been at the Manor for a little more than a month, and she and Dick had really hit it off. They were constantly together, and even when they weren't they always knew where the other was. She had been sitting on her white corner chair reading _The Book of Lost Things_ when she heard her twin calling her.

"I'm going to a movie. You want to come with?"

"Why not? I've read this before." She swung her folded legs out from under her and slipped her feet into her black ballerina flats. She stood and stretched, cracking her back and tossing the hardback book on her chair. She followed Dick to the stairs, but instead of walking down them, she jumped onto the banister and went down, arms out to keep her balance as her feet slid on the polished wood. When she reached the end, instead of jumping down, she launched herself off, did a few flips, and stuck the landing. Dick sprinted down the stairs to catch up. "I'm telling you, you should join the Olympic gymnastic team!"

The youngest Grayson laughed and brushed her crimson curls out of her face. "Yeah. I'll do that when pigs fly."

"You know, I bet there's some airline somewhere that flys animals."

"I mean with wings, wonder boy." She opened the Manor door and held it open for her brother, then locked it behind her. Alfred already had the car pulled up, so the twins jumped in the backseat and were off.

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When they came out of the theater they were deep in conversation about the movie. "And did you see when she shot the apple out of the tree?"

"I know. She barely even stopped to aim." Serafina glanced both ways before crossing to the side of the street where they would wait for Alfred. "Damn, that makes me want to learn archery."

"Hey, you wouldn't be a half bad shot, with the right teacher."

"Maybe. It'd be fun." The redhead's ears perked up at a sound like a glass bottle rolling on the cement. "Did you hear that?"

Dick listened, but heard nothing. "No. What'd you hear?"

"Like a beer bottle rolling around." The pair heard glass breaking, and Dick grabbed his twin's hand, leading her a little closer to the street.

"Okay, I heard that."

"So what do we do?"

"You stay close to the street and don't move from that spot. I'll be right back."

"And where are you going?"

"To find out what that noise was."

"And if it was someone who want's to hurt us?"

"Then I run away and scream like crazy."

"Damn it, Dick, I'm serious!"

"So am I." The older Grayson glanced uneasily behind them. "Look, Alfred will be here in a few minutes. Just stay close to the street and stay in the light, and no one will touch you. I won't be long, I promise." He shot her a reassuring smile, and disappeared into the alley.

The teen wasn't standing on the sidewalk for long before Alfred pulled up to the curb. Serafina jumped into the back seat. "How was the movie, Miss Serafina?"

"It was good." She looked out the window, towards the alley.

"Where is Master Dick?"

"That's a good question. He went to check out this weird noise we heard, but he hasn't come back yet."

"He went alone?"

"Yes sir." They waited a few minutes, until Dick came sprinting out of the alley, his shirt torn and a bruise on his jaw. He threw open the car door and sprung in, slamming it behind him and shouting, "Alfred, DRIVE!"

The Englishman slammed the gas just as a man whipped around the corner, firing six gunshots at their car. None of them hit the windows, but the bumper had two bullet holes in it. Before too long they where on the highway, and Dick fell back against the seat, panting hard. Serafina angled his face to the side, examining his bruise. "You're hurt."

"It's fine, it'll be gone in a few days. This sort of thing isn't exactly uncommon."

She released his jaw and ran her hand through her hair. "Is being a Wayne always this hard?"

Alfred and Dick shared a glance before the acrobat answered. "Yeah, pretty much."

His twin twirled one of her curls around her finger. "Nobody even knows I exist and people are all ready trying to kill me. What's next? A clown coming at me with a bazooka?"

"Sis, this is Gotham. That is entirely possible."

Serafina dropped her head and groaned.

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**_A/N: Did I just foreshadow something? Anyway, short chapter I know, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I start high school tomorrow, but I will try to update as often as possible for both this and Some Things Don't Stay Buried. Please review, and leave any ideas you have in a review!_**


	3. Redheads and Water Guns

_**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for the amazing reviews, you guys rock! I know I said I would start using requests this chapter, but I got this plot bunny and it wouldn't go away! That doesn't mean I don't want requests! I love requests! Leave them in a review, and I'll get to them as soon as possible. Enjoy!**_

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The doorbell rang, shattering the peaceful calm of the Sunday morning at Wayne Manor. Dick ran down the stairs, wearing a white t-shirt with black flip-flops and swimming trunks, and sprinted to the door. He grasped the cool metal handle and swung it open, grinning at the person on the other side. "Hey Wally."

Said teen smiled in return, his orange-red hair glinting in the sunlight. "Heya Dickie!"

The Boy Wonder stepped to the side, allowing his friend to enter the air conditioned manor. The speedster was wearing yellow swimming trunks with a bright red t-shirt and red flip-flops with little yellow Flash symbols on them. The two teens strolled to the den and made small talk while waiting for the last member of their party to arrive. The doorbell rang a second time, but they heard the ringer let himself in. Not too long after another redhead entered to room.

"Hey guys."

"Roy!" The ebony tackled the older boy in a hug, only for the other teen to pile on top of the two. Red Arrow laughed as he stumbled back with the weight, eventually tripping and falling back on the couch.

"Woah! I knew you two squirts would be happy to see me but geez!" He patted them both on the back. "Okay guys, can't breathe! Lemme up!"

"Aww man!" Wally pushed himself off the two other boys, and Dick followed, letting Roy stand back up. "So, what now?" He asked.

"Well, I invited you here to swim. Let's swim!" The older Grayson lead the two redheads to the back patio, where a swimming pool sprawled out before them. The three kicked their shoes off and shamelessly stripped themselves of their shirts, tossing them into one of the three empty lounge chairs. The older two were just about to jump into the cool water when the youngest stopped them. "Guys, swimming wasn't the only reason I invited you over."

"Oh?" Roy's eyes narrowed slightly with concern. "Are you okay Dickie? Are you sick?"

"What? No, no, nothing like that. It's just…" The Boy Wonder rubbed his arm nervously.

"Just what?" Wally prodded gently.

Dick looked up at them, dead seriousness in his sapphire eyes. "You have to swear that you won't tell a soul. Swear on anything and everything there is. This does **not** leave this house."

The older heroes glanced at each other, than back at their little brother. "We swear." They said in unison.

Robin nodded and took a deep breath, then crossed his arms over his chest. "You can come out now. I promise they won't bite."

Wally and Roy looked at each other, eyebrows raised. Was their friend going nuts? Neither of them heard a quiet voice say, "I feel naked in this."

Dick rolled his eyes and sighed. "It's fine, you look great."

This time the older two did hear a soft sigh of resignation, and saw a figure moving the the shadows of the building. Roy instinctively reached for where his bow and quiver should have been, and cursed under his breath, remembering he didn't have them in his civvies. Wally got ready to run and tackle the figure or grab his friends and flee. Both stopped when the figure stepped out of the shadows.

It was Serafina, though neither of the older boys knew who she was. She was a secret, after all. She was wearing a lapis blue bikini with a halter strap. Her tan skin glowed in the summer sunshine, giving her an ethereal appearance standing in front of the large glass windows leading from the patio to the Manor. Crimson locks spilled down her back, glinting like a million rubies and swishing over her shoulders in a wave. The blue of the swimsuit brought out her eyes, emerald green seeming to stare right through their souls. Red Arrow's jaw hit the ground. Who… how… _damn_. Their little brother was holding out on them.

Wally however wasted no time with gaping at her. He was by her side in an instant, a flirtatious arm slung over her shoulders. "Dang, Dickie. You got something you've been meaning to tell us?"

Serafina laughed, much to Wally's delight, and Dick jokingly pushed him away from her. "Come on dude. That's my sister you're talking about."

If he had been drinking something it probably would have been squirted out his nose. Wally stared with wide eyes at the two. "Sis-Sister?!"

Dick flashed that devil-make-care smile. "Yep. Wally, Roy, I'd like you to meet my twin sister, Serafina."

She bobbed her head at the dumbfounded pair before her. "Nice to meet you both."

Roy nodded slowly, regaining his bearings. "Twins?"

She nodded. "Fraternal. I know it doesn't look like it, but we are."

Roy leaned over to Dick. "And why is this such a big secret?"

"Because no one outside this building knows she's real. She doesn't trust anyone." Roy glanced uneasily at the youngest Grayson as Dick continued, addressing Wally now as well. "Look, she's had a rough life, and she's put her trust in people who threw it back in her face. The only reason she's standing in front of you right now is because you two are my best friends and she wanted to meet you. If I can trust you, she's sure she can. But no one can know just yet."

The other two redheads nodded, slowly digesting the new information. They stared at her for a good five more minutes before she sighed at put her hands on her hips. "Look, I know all this is new and everything, but you boys are shirtless for a reason, and if you're not gonna get in now, then I guess I'll have to do it for you." With that she stepped toward them and planted a hand firmly on each of their chests, giving then a strong shove into the water. They both splashed into the pool, coming up sputtering and coughing. Dick laughed as he too jumped in with a loud cry of "CANNONBALL!" and a big splash in the water. Serafina smiled and shook her head at her brothers' antics before sitting in one of the unoccupied lounge chairs. She would join then in the water later. For now she would just watch.

The three wrestled and played in the water for about an hour and a half before Wally decided that he wanted to try the new diving board that had been installed. It was a springboard diving board, about ten feet above the water. Wally had thought that ten feet would be enough space to do some of the cool stuff he had seen on TV until he actually launched off. Then he realized how wrong he was. Roy, Dick, and Serafina all cringed at the sound of Wally hitting the water in a belly flop.

"Ow." He said, wincing. He was lying beside the pool, propped up on his elbows after hauling himself out of the water. Serafina was kneeling next to him, right on the pool edge, dipping her hand into the cool water and dribbling it of the smarting skin of the speedster's bright red stomach. Dick and Roy were both still in the water, their arms up on the edge as they watched, trying and failing to hold in their laughter. Finally they couldn't take it anymore, and doubled over in the water with laughter. Wally groaned and Serafina splashed water in the other two's faces. "Now you two, be nice. Even though that was an epic fail."

The speedster glared at the redhead girl. "Oh and I suppose you could do better."

"Um, yeah, I could."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Prove it."

"Fine." Wally arched an eyebrow as she stood and made her way toward the board. She climbed to the top and stood on the edge, looking down calmly at the crystal clear water beneath her. The 16 year old was sure she would never be able to do anything better than he had done, but just then she leapt off the edge. The first thing he noticed was that she sprung about 3 feet higher in the air right off the board than he had, then he saw what she could do. First she tucked her knees up to her chest and did a couple of flips before going into a a few twists. To finish she did a split in the air and then twisted downwards into a diving position, sliding into the water with only a small splash. Wally's and Roy's jaws hit the ground for the second time in a day, too dumbfounded to speak. Serafina swam to where the other teens were and hauled herself out of the pool, her hair glistening in the golden rays of sunlight like a solid red sheet. She smirked at the expressions of the older boys and lightly kicked Wally's shin, water rolling down her smooth legs. "Told you I could do better."

"And you weren't kidding! Geez, where'd you learn to do that?"

She shrugged. "Hey, I'm a Grayson. I taught myself the gymnastics, but I guess the flexibility just comes." She took all her hair into her hands and brought it over one shoulder. She twisted it, wringing as much water as she could out of the blood red curls before tossing them behind her. She heard the smack of her hair meeting flesh and turned to see Alfred standing with a tray of food in one hand and another tray with four drinks on it in the other. She could see the wet mark from where her hair had hit his cheek, and the impact had thrown the Englishman off balance, causing him to spill one of the glasses of soda down his crisp white shirt. Her hand went to her mouth as her eyes got wide. "Oh my gosh, Alfred I am so sorry! I didn't 't hear you and-"

"It's quite all right, Miss Serafina." He handed one tray to her. "Purely accidental."

"Well look on the bright side Alfie." Wally said brightly. "Pepsi looks good on you."

Serafina sighed as Dick pulled Wally back into the water by the arm, using the speedster's back as a springboard to jump up on the ground and join his sister. He took the other tray from Alfred, who went back inside, but returned seconds later with four narrow cardboard boxes piled up in his arms. "Master Bruce asked me to deliver these to you."

The redheaded girl put down her tray and took the boxes. "Thank you, Alfred." The butler nodded in reply and strolled back into the house, shutting the patio door behind him. She set the boxes down of the ground and squatted next to them, cracking one open. She sucked in a breath and slowly let it out. A smile broke out on her face. "Oh. Bruce, I love you."

"What is it?" Dick asked, leaning over her shoulder.

Serafina grabbed whatever was in the box and stood, hoisting the thing up to her chest level. The dark blue plastic reflected back the sunlight. "Grab one, boys. I've always wanted to have a water gun war."

Grins split onto the faces of the ebony and two other redheads. Before too log they were all armed; Roy with a red water gun, Wally with a yellow one, Dick with a black one, and Serafina with a dark blue one. They all loaded their weapons and gave one minute for everyone to scatter and hide. Once that was up, the shooting began.

Bruce Wayne took a seat in a comfortable chair in the sunroom, gazing at the water fight through the glass door leading to the patio. He could hear everything through the glass, from the water guns being reloaded time after time to the manly if a little high pitched screams from Wally whenever one of the two Grayson's would hit him in the rear with a powerful spray of water. One time he watch Roy dart across the open patio o the pool to refill his tank. He was immediately under fire from Wally, who charged out into the open like a ticked off bull. Roy squirted blindly, and somehow managed to hit Wally the one place a man never wanted to get hit in. To his credit, it gave Roy an excellent escape strategy, sprinting past the other redhead, who was double over with pain. But the sounds that Bruce heard the most often were delighted peals of laughter coming from his daughter. For once he was glad that his initial reluctance to let Wally and Roy in on their secret had been proven wrong. That giggle made everything it took to get here seem so insignificant. The time it took to get her to look another male other than Bruce, Alfred, or Dick in the face, the weeks it took to get her to not begin every sentence with "sir" and not to answer any request they asked of her with "if it so pleases you." The long months it took to get her to even step off the Manor grounds alone. The nights trying to convince her that she didn't need their permission to sleep, that they weren't going to hurt her if she nodded off. After everything she had been through, it was good to see her laugh so easily and smile so freely.

The World's Greatest Detective was draw abruptly from his thought by the patio door opening and slamming shut again. He looked up to see the aforementioned redhead panting with her back pressed against the glass. She carded her fingers through her damp crimson curls, water running down her mostly exposed body. Bruce chuckled. "Enjoying the water guns?"

She gave him a look. "No, what would have ever made you think that?" She said sarcastically.

"Just a hunch." She laughed and glanced out the window, watching for her twin and his friends.

"You wanna come out? The lounge chairs are an off limits area, no one will shoot you there."

Bruce opened his mouth to refuse, but sighed in resignation when he saw his daughter giving him her own version of the puppy eyes. "Fine."

She grinned in delight and opened the window, motioning for him to follow her lead. He stood and followed her in the general direction of the lounge chairs. Just before they got there she yelled, "Go!"

Dick dropped from a tree, Roy and Wally sprang up from behind chairs, and Serafina turned abruptly to face him. The next thing he knew he was being attacked on all sides by water gun. "AUGH!"

He stumbled back and heard Dick yell, "Now! Go go go!" followed by a loud splash and the absence of one of the guns attacking him. He continued to be forced back towards the pool, raising his arms to protect his face when the bombardment suddenly stopped. He glanced up to see all three boys holding their guns and grinning like madmen. Dick waved at him.

Then he felt a pair of warm, wet arms wrap around his legs and yank him backwards. He fell with a shout and splashed into the water, his eyes stinging from the chlorine. His legs were promptly released, and e kicked to the surface, couching and choking on pool water. Another person rose to break the smooth water surface. A female laugh rang through the patio. He looked and saw Serafina trying to hide her smile behind her hand and failing. "You mad, Dad?"

For a moment he glared at her before chuckling himself. "I should have guessed."

"Yeah you really should've." They were interrupted by a loud cry and bare feet slapping against concrete. Dick jumped into the water with his family, splattering them both with water. He too surfaced, only he had his water gun with him, and began another water war.

Hours later, after everyone had come inside and showered and changed, Alfred walked into the den to tell the group that dinner was about to be served. He however was not greeted by the chatter and banter he expected.

Wally and Roy were both on the floor, Wally lying down with his head in the older redhead's lap while Roy had his back facing the couch, his head lolled to the side. Dick sat on the left, his head resting on Bruce's shoulders with Roy sitting against his legs. Bruce was next to him, his own head leaning on his son's and an arm around his daughter, a hand resting on her shoulder. Serafina was curl up against him, her legs folded to the side. Soft snores emanated from the group.

Alfred smiled and quietly shut the door behind him. Dinner could wait.

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_**A/N: Well, that's that, and now the plot bunny went away! Yay! Sorry if it was too long or too short. Please leave a request and please review!**_


	4. The Batcave

_**A/N: Wohoo! Chapter 4! Hope y'all enjoy this one, it took me a while to write! Be forewarned, there is cursing in this chapter.**_

_**Thanks to The-Obesser for the great idea for this chapter!**_

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It was around one o'clock in the morning when Serafina woke up with in a cold sweat with tears welling up in her eyes. She kicked off her inky blue satin sheets and set her feet on the soft white carpeting of her bedroom. She noiselessly opened her cherry wood door and tiptoed out into the silent moonlit hallway. The cool air caressed her bare shoulders as she padded to her brother's door, the cold wood sending icy tendrils up her body and causing fields of goosebumps to rise on her skin. She cracked the door open and peered into the nearly pitch black. "Dickie?"

She could just make out a small lump under the blankets that was her brother curled up in his bed. She thought he was sleeping, but his head popped up from tangled mess of black sheets, his ebony hair a disheveled mess. "Serafina? Are you okay?"

She leaned her head against the solid door frame. "Can I come in?"

He scooted over and patted a newly made spot next to him. "Come on."

She jogged- or more like sprinted- over to the bed and crawled in next to Dick, who pulled the blankets up around them. The warm satin settled around her freezing skin like the air on a pleasant summer evening. They both lay facing each other, Dick propping his head up with an arm and Serafina's resting on one of the plush pillows.

The elder if the two scratched his nose. "So what's up?"

Serafina twisted the strap of her spaghetti strap night top nervously. "How do you deal with it?"

"What?"

"The… the dreams."

"Oh." The older nodded knowingly. "How bad?"

She shuddered despite the warmth of her brother next to her. "Bad. Really, _really_ bad."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Tears welled in her eyes and she shook her head vigorously, a quiet whimper escaping her lips. Dick looked at her sympathetically and took her in his arms, rubbing her back soothingly. She nestled her head in the crook of his neck, drops of water leaking from her eyes and dribbling down her cheeks. He held her until her crying stopped and made her face him, wiping a few stray tears away.

"Feel a little better?"

She gave a weak smile. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Anytime, sis." Dick shot her one of his trademark grins, but it quickly vanished as he winced and sat up, touching a hand gently to his shoulder. The change didn't go unnoticed to his twin, who cocked her head curiously. "All this time you're asking me if I'm okay when I should be asking you."

"It's nothing," the Boy Wonder said. "Just an ache from too many flips."

She nodded and yawned, setting her head back on the soft pillow. Part of her was too terrified to go back to sleep, but the crying had made her drowsy, and _G__od_ the sheets were so damn warm…

Dick saw her drifting off the dreamland and smiled to himself. He slid down into the mess of blankets and repositioned himself so he was more comfortable, but he kept a hand on his sister's waist. He lightly kissed her forehead and whispered, "Night sis."

She drifted off to the soft lull of drowsiness and the comforting warmth of her twin's hand on her waist.

* * *

What woke her up was the absence of that warmth. Serafina rubbed her eyes with one hand and rolled over, angling the clock on his nightstand toward her with the other hand. 3:00 A.M. Entirely too early to be up, but it wasn't like she'd be able to get back to sleep anyway. She slipped like a slippery bar of soap out from under the covers and took Dick's robe off the back of a chair. Not like he was using it. She wrapped herself up in the fabric to keep warm and stepped out into the hallway.

It was still dark, but there was still enough light from the full moon streaming in through the massive windows to illuminate the halls. She made her way down the grand staircase and into the den, curling up on a chair positioned conveniently in front of a blazing fireplace. Come to think of it, the was always a fire going in this fireplace. That was probably a fire hazard…

She was snapped out of her train of thought by the sound of wings beating fervently against thick glass. She glanced around the room before her emerald eyes settled on the grandfather clock pushed up against the wall. She saw a bat trapped in the clock, it's wings slapping against the glass holding it captive. Serafina set her feet on the floor and made her way to the clock, tapping the case with two fingers. "Hey little guy. How'd you get stuck up in there, huh?" Her finger tips slid lightly down the glass, looking for someway to open up the clock. She unhooked the case and swung it open, then started looking for a way to open the clock face. The bat's wings flapped even more frantically. "Hang on buddy." She said soothingly, even though she knew the bat couldn't understand her. "We'll get you out of there in just a minute."

Eventually she got the clock face to pop open, and the bat flew out like… well, like a bat out of hell. She ducked and instinctively reached out, grabbing the clock pendulum and pulling on it to steady herself. The clock began slowly moving to the side, startling her and making her fall back on her butt. She scrambled back and watched the clock shift all the way to the side, revealing a winding staircase carved out of stone descending into darkness. She slowly stood and stepped forward uneasily, peering down as far as the light from the fire would reach. Her curiosity spiked, and as soon as her bare foot touched the first ice cold step her rational mind went out the window. She kept her left hand on the wall as she descended, reaching her right hand out in front of her so she wouldn't run into a wall.

She walked until her the fingertips of her left hand brushed a steel panel, but there was nothing touching her other hand. She felt along the panel until she found a switch, which she flipped without hesitation. Light immediately flooded her eyes and her hand shot up to shield her face. When she looked up her jaw dropped at the sheer size of the cave spread out before her. She walked into the middle of the room and spun around in a slow 360, taking in every possible detail. "Wow. Wow, wow, WOW!"

The computer in the cave whirred to life, the blue light from the massive screen giving her skin an eerie, almost ghostly glow. Serafina walked around the cave, eyes wide at the enormous expanse sprawled out before her. There was a sleek black plane sitting on a raised platform, and she could hear water running somewhere deeper in the cave. There was a gym off to her right with giant target boards that had at least a dozen pieces of metal sticking out of each one. There was another part that looked almost like a part of a hospital had been cut out and put in the cave. But what really caught the youngest Grayson's attention was the giant tube. Like taller than a freakin' car and deeper than a swimming pool giant tube. She came to a stop in front of it and crossed her arms over her chest, studying it, and a blue beam came out of the top and ran down her body. She jumped back when a feminine voice said, "Recognized, Serafina, B-04."

The redhead's eyes narrowed as she cautiously stepped forward. How did this… _thing_ know her name, and what were the numbers for? She stepped into the tube and was surrounded by pale golden light. She squeezed her eyes shut to keep from being blinded as a whirring sound filled her ears, but what startled her was the sensation.

It felt like every atom of her body was being torn apart, as if her body was a nuclear battleground. It **_hurt_**. Really, really bad. It wasn't like Serafina was unfamiliar with pain; hell, where she'd come from, you had to get used to it. But this was a totally new kind of pain that she didn't know. A white hot burning spreading like wildfire through her arms and legs, boiling the blood in her veins and pooling in her chest, blistering her skin. The feeling was intense, but if she thought that was bad, it had nothing on what was coming. The pain of being ripped apart was nothing like having every fiber of your being forced back together like jigsaw puzzle pieces that just didn't want to fit back where they should.

Just as soon as the pain started, it stopped. Her eyes snapped open and she gasped, sucking as much air as she could into her burning lungs. Her body felt like hell, her legs quivering under her like those of a newborn fawn. She was dizzy and nauseous, her brain trying to reboot itself like a computer. She grabbed the wall to hold herself up and found she was inside a tube just like the one she had stepped in before. When she finally looked up from the floor she found that she wasn't in the cave she'd discovered. This place was still a cave, but the room was wide open with nothing in it. There was a well-lit corridor at the other end of the room, but aside from that and the tube she was in, the room was empty. She shakily stepped out of the tube walked over to the corridor on the other side. She peered down the well-lit hall and, glancing behind her, continued down the hall.

She came upon a kitchen that opened up into a den. Both rooms were astonishingly clean, so clean the redhead wondered if this was Alfred's secret getaway. The TV in the den was still running, static fizzling on the screen. The teenager could hear the faint din of weapons and voices down another hallway opposite from the one she had just come through. Her curiosity peaked again, and she followed the sound until she reached a gym. The ceiling towered high above her head, and she was surrounded on all sides by workout equipment. There were a bunch of targets just like she had seen back at the other cave, and they had pieces of metal and arrows sticking out of them. "What are you doing here?"

Serafina turned and saw a group of six teenagers, her age and older, standing in fighting positions. The one in the middle was obviously the leader. He looked like he was about 16, maybe a little older. He was black with short cut blond hair, silver eyes, and, oddly enough, gills. His feet and hands were webbed, and he was wearing black pants with fins and a sleek red muscle shirt. Black tattoos ran down his arms to the center of the back of his hands, and he was grasping two shiny metal sticks.

The boy on the right of the first boy also looked about 16. His hair was shaggy black, and his eyes were bright cobalt. He wore simple jeans, black combat boots, and a black t-shirt with a bold red S on the front. He well-built, strong abs and a chiseled chest showing through his shirt. The girl standing next to him had auburn hair and amber colored eyes. Her skin was green, and had a few freckles dusted on her face. She had a blue cape and skirt, a white shirt with a red X, and blue ankle boots with a low heel. She was pretty, and though she looked ready to kick some ass, the black haired boy next to her was standing in front of her protectively. Serafina smiled mentally. _'So obviously a couple.'_

Next to the girl the was another 16 year old boy. He had kind of orangey red hair and light green eyes. His costume was bright, bright yellow with red boots and a yellow cowl with little red lightning bolts sticking out the sides. He also had freckles sprinkled across his face. In the center of his chest was a bright red lighting bolt. On the left of the black boy was a boy significantly younger than all the others, probably her age. He also had black hair, but she couldn't tell what color his eyes were because of the mask covering them. She could see that his skin was tan, just like hers, and his figure was short and muscular. His costume was a black cape with canary yellow on the inside, black leggings with red pockets, black boots and gloves, and a red vest with a stylized R on it. He actually reminded the teen a lot of her twin.

Standing next to him was an about 15 year old girl. She had long blonde hair and dark grey eyes. She had a cowl went from her hairline to her cheekbones, and an all green costume that left her midriff and arms bare. There was a light green arrow on her chest, and she had a bow in her hands. Taken all together, they looked like superheroes. Serafina mentally berated herself for that. In her world there were no superheroes. There are people, and there are monsters. There is no middle ground.

The black boy in the middle cleared his throat. "Again, what are you doing here?"

The redhead thought for a moment. She could take the antagonistic approach, try to fight her way out, and risk getting clobbered. Or, she could take the pacifistic approach and claim peace. Of course, she still risked getting clobbered, but hopefully less clobbered, and she would rather still have all her body parts when this was over. She probably didn't look too welcoming either, her twin's robe wrapped around her and her hair falling in her face, obscuring her face and eyes. She quickly made up her mind, and held up her hands. "I don't know. I honest to God don't know."

The group of teenagers exchanged skeptical looks. She took a hesitant step forward, making them all focus on her again. "Look, I really don't have a clue. One minute I'm in this weird cave I found, the next I'm here."

"So you just found a random cave with a zeta tube?" The short, black haired boy asked. Geez, the kid even sounded like her brother…

"I'm not here the hurt any of you, if that's what you're implying." She threw her hands in the air. "Look, I don't know who you people are, and I really don't give a shit! I just want to go home!"

They all glanced at each other before the black boy stepped forward. Serafina took a step back to match. Did they not believe her? Was he going to hurt her? But he put his sticks in a holster thing on his back and held up his hands. "We will not hurt you. I am Aqualad, and this is my team. Tell me where you live, one of us will take you home."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Gotham City."

Aqualad nodded and went back to his team, saying something. They nodded, and the short boy walked over to her. "Come on, I'll take you back."

She glanced at the other teens and bobbed her head in their general direction, silently thanking them before following the boy out of the room and back to the one she had first been in.

"I'm Robin, by the way." The boy said.

The youngest Grayson nodded, but shrunk back when she saw the tubes again. Robin noticed her reaction. "What's the matter?"

"They hurt."

He glanced at the tubes and smiled sympathetically. "Oh, the zeta tubes. Trust me, it isn't that bad after the first time, and it's the fastest way to get you back home."

She nodded and took Robin's offered hand before stepping into the tube with him. He was right; it didn't hurt as bad the second time around. This time it felt more like a thousand little pin pricks running up and down her body than a nuclear explosion. The next thing she knew she and Robin were crammed next to each other in a phone booth. The doors opened, and the cold, dirty air of Gotham City smacked her in the face. When they got out of the phone booth she turned to the boy. "Is this a joke?"

He cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean? Isn't this where you were?"

"No, I was in a cave-"

"The Batcave?"

That gave her pause. "I- I guess. Wait, you mean like the one from the Batman stories?" Sure she'd heard of the guy, but she passed him off as an urban legend, like all superheroes. He supposedly had a sidekick about her age too.

"Yeah."

"But that's all just a bunch of stories to make kids sleep at night."

"They're not just stories. They're real. He's real. I should know, I'm his partner."

"Hold on, if all this is true and Batcave is real, then what the hell is it doing under my house? Unless…" The pieces snapped in place, and her eyes got as big as teacups. "Dick?"

Robin froze, but quickly recovered. "I don't know who that is."

She tossed her curls out of her eyes, finally letting him see her face. "Come off it Dick, it's me." She shook her head in disbelieve. "You're Robin. You're really Robin."

The Boy Wonder peeled off his mask, revealing equally wide eyes. "Serafina? How…?"

"I found the entrance in the den at the Manor. There was this bat and… never mind."

The older Grayson pinched the bridge of his nose. "You need to keep your hair out of your face. I can never recognize you when it's falling in your eyes like that."

"Sure, whatever." She ran a hand through her loose curls, and then it hit her. "Hang on just a minute. If you're Robin, then that means Bruce is… holy crap! **BRUCE IS THE GODDAMN BATMAN!** That's why the Batcave is under the Manor!"

"Yeah, about that, don't talk so loud. There's a reason we wear masks."

"Right, sorry." She rubbed her arms, trying to get over the shock. "Um, I don't mean to be pushy, but can we please go home? It's freezing out here."

The ebony nodded, still somewhat stunned. "Yeah. Yeah, we can take the zeta tubes."

Within a moment they were back in the Batcave. She yawned as she stepped out of the tube, and Dick turned to her, mask still off. "Serafina, I know you have a lot more questions, but let's wait until the morning. You're exhausted, I'm supposed to start patrol in a few minutes, and Bruce and I can explain the whole thing over breakfast."

The redhead nodded, too tired to even give a response. She hugged her brother and made her way back up to the den, and from there to her bedroom. She collapsed in the bed and curled up under the satin sheets.

Her big brother was Robin. The actual Boy Wonder. Now **THAT** was something she hadn't expected.

* * *

_**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Please leave some requests, I love them! And please review!**_


	5. Saving Robin

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or anything in the DC universe. I own Serafina and the plot.**_

_**A/N: Oh my gosh two chapters within the span of a week? Wowzers. I'm gonna try to update this story every week or so, unless something comes up. Stay tuned to my profile for status reports. For now, enjoy!**_

_**Warnings: a couple curse words  
**_

_**Shout out to Keepmovingforward2-Dick is three minutes older than Serafina.**_

* * *

"Come on Serafina, I know you can do this!"

Said redhead gritted her teeth and did another flip, her palms sweaty as she gripped the still rings. Her arms quivered under her weight as she held herself in a perfectly straight position in the air. Her brother was standing on a mat ten feet below her, watching her flip and twist on the rings with only the straps to hold her there. He glanced at the worn black material, trembling under her weight. Normally he didn't worry about the rings when he was on them. But with his little sister up there… he made a mental note to talk to Bruce about replacing the straps when he got back from his meeting at the Watchtower.

She strained to keep her arms straight out to the side, eyes focused on the ground below her. A bead of sweat slid down her face and found its way along her neck, tracing a slow but steady path down to her shoulders and slipping to her fingertips. She twisted so she was upside down, her body straight as a stick while she gasped for oxygen, the cool air of the Batcave filling her lungs. Dick noticed her fatigue. "Dismount. Now."

She nodded and did a couple twists to gain momentum before releasing the rings and flipping in the air. She tried the stick the landing but her tired legs refused to take all her weight at once and she fell to her knees. Heaving deep, shuddering breaths she gratefully accepted the towel offered to her by her twin. "Thanks."

He grinned at her. "No prob, sis."

She wiped her face of her sweat and stood, her legs wobbling slightly. Dick glanced at her with concern. "You might want to take a break. You've been on the rings a solid three hours, and that's longer than I've ever been able to go at once."

The younger teen nodded and slowly made her way toward a bench, watching her brother chalk his hands and step towards the uneven bars. He glanced back at her. "Spot me?"

She nodded and sat down, putting the towel around her neck. "Sure."

He grabbed the lower bar a hoisted himself up. He brought his legs up and hooked them on the pole, flipping and grabbing the higher pole. He went through a series of routines over thirty minutes, with the young redhead calling out occasional instructions. Suddenly the twins heard loud beating filled the cave, and Dick immediately dismounted. He sprinted to the Batcomputer with Serafina hot on his heels. His fingers tapped furiously on the keyboard. "Robbery at the West Gotham Jewelry store." He murmured under his breath. He grabbed his cape off the chair behind him and fastened it around his neck, then slicked his mask with spirit gum. He pressed it to his face and held it there for a few moments to secure it. He looked at his sister. "I'm going. Stay here, Alfred is right upstairs if you need anything."

"But-"

"It wasn't a request."

Said redhead huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You better come back safe or I'm gonna kick your ass."

He grinned at her. "You bet little sis." He sprinted to his cycle and revved the engine, speeding out of the cave in a could of smoke. She glared at the retreating form and made her way back toward the gym when a shiny price of metal caught her attention. She carefully picked up the sleek batarang, carefully turning it in her hands and studying it from different angles. She glanced at a target across from her and flipped it on the flat side. She gripped the edge and flicked her wrist, sending it flying toward the target. She grinned to herself when it lodged just beneath the center. She scooped up an armful of weapons.

* * *

Dick had been gone almost two hours, and Serafina was getting better. Her first shot had been a lucky one, as she had found out when she brought her arm back to throw another and accidentally released it before she could throw it. She sure hoped the giant T-Rex didn't have anything important lodged in it's stomach. Her attention was drawn away when she heard roaring engines and two bright headlights appeared. The Batmobile pulled onto the parking ramp, and Batman stepped out. The young redhead walked casually over to her father, who looked behind her as if looking for someone. "Where's Robin?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "And hello to you too." A frown crossed her pretty features. "Wait, you mean he's not with you?"

The Dark Knight shook his head. "No. He wasn't at the normal rendezvous point. He's not here?"

Her brow knit together. "No. He went out about two hours ago and when he didn't come back I assumed he met up with you wherever you two go."

In an instant Bruce was at the computer, cowl down and fingers working at a furious pace. "Where did he go?"

The youngest Grayson racked her brain, trying to remember. "I think he said the West Gotham Jewelry store."

The billionaire nodded thoughtfully and pulled up the tracking information on Robin's GPS. A map of Gotham appeared on the screen, a red dot positioned directly over the Manor. It moved as Batman fast forwarded the time. It lingered at the street address of the jewelry store, then it was moving again. It stopped at a few other places before coming to a final halt. The teen leaned over Bruce's shoulder to get a better look at the map. "That's the old apartment complex on Raymond street."

Bruce sent a look in her general direction. "How did you…?"

A light blush painted her cheeks as she reached forward and tapped a place about a block from the building. "That's the last place I was." Bruce couldn't help but notice how she didn't refer to it as her last home. Or her last family.

However he let it pass as he stood and pulled his cowl back down. He briskly made his way back toward the Batmobile and leapt in. He was about to slide the roof back in it's position and drive off when a hand slammed down on the steering wheel. "I'm coming with you." He glanced up, and was met by a pair of boiling jaded emeralds. "I'm a civilian. I can get into places you can't."

He gave her the Batglare, but her own angry gaze leveled the field. Eventually he sighed and jerked his head toward to lockers. "Change. Two minutes."

She nodded and sprinted in the direction of the lockers. Exactly two minutes later she was running at top speed toward the sleek black car. She put a hand on the door a jumped over it, landing in the seat without a sound. "Let's go."

The roof slid silently into position, and the car rocketed forward. Serafina clung to the seat at the high speed, then relaxed. A whoop of joy escaped her lips. "This is AWESOME!"

A smile tugged at Batman's lips as she laughed. The first time Dick had ever gone that fast he had wet his tights. Now _that_ was a mess he didn't want to clean up twice. In a few minutes they were at the street address of the apartment complex. He rolled down the window and slipped a small black disk with a red and a blue button into her hand. "Check the ground floor first, if he was kidnapped they wouldn't have taken him any farther. Bottom floor provides the quickest getaway. If it's clear, go check the alleys. The blue button lets me hear what's going on, the red one tells me to come in and get you. Got it?" She nodded and started to climb out the window, when Bruce grabbed her wrist. "Serafina. Be careful."

She gave him a million dollar smile. "Come on now, Dad. You know me."

"That's exactly why I'm worried."

A brief chuckle escaped her as she exited via window and her feet landed on the pavement. She stalked to the door and cracked it open, peering cautiously inside before gingerly opening it and stepping out of her father's safe watch and into the abandoned building. The ballerina flats that she had changed into didn't make a sound on the old floor, a small cloud of filmy dust and dirt covering the once polished wood floors. He dark clothes made her blend in like a silent shadow stealing through the darkness. Her sweep of the first floor revealed nothing interesting, so she crept to the back door and pressed her ear against it, listening for anything. She could hear muffled speaking, a man's deep voice, through the rotting wooden door. She circled back around to the front door and closed it carefully behind her.

Batman started to rise, but stopped when the redhead's hand snapped up in a stop position. He watched carefully as she spelled out a word in sign language._ Wait_.

The billionaire playboy sigh and sat back down, but mentally thanked himself for teaching his daughter sign language. She tip-toed around the car and pressed herself against the wall before slipping around the corner and disappearing from her father's view. Her eyes darted to a man holding up a boy in a red vest. Her breath caught in her throat. Dick. She ground her teeth so hard she heard something crack in her back teeth. _'__What did this son of a bitch do the my brother?'_

Her brain raced. _'__Okay, now how do I get him away from Dick and how do I kick his sorry behind to Timbuktu?'_ Her fingers found the disk Batman gave her and traced the outline of the blue button as a plan slowly formulated in her head. The acrobat took a breath and crossed her legs in front of her, her back against the dirty building wall. Her dark blue jeans and black long sleeve top blended her in with the shadows the surrounded her. She pressed the button and crossed her arms over her chest, dropping her head so her hair veiled her face. _'Dad's gonna kill me.'_

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The man whirled around, her brother's vest still clenched in his fist. She looked up at him, the red curtain of hair still concealing her eyes. She nodded toward the raven. "You know who he is, right?"

The man glanced down. "Yup."

"Then you know that this is equivalent to suicide."

His fist quivered by his side. "I ain't scared of no masked freak."

"You should be." The redhead pushed off the wall and sauntered toward the stranger. "You should be cowering in the corner."

"Why the 'ell should I do that?"

"This is the Bat we're talking about. Anyone who hurts his bird…" At this point she was right up on him. "Well, let's just say that Batman has anger issues." She clicked her tongue. "And that's not even thinking about the Justice League."

His eyes got wide at the mention of that. "J-Justice League?"

She smiled sweetly. "Aw, aren't you so just innocent. Capes have to stick together, you know. And you can't exactly torture one of their own without drawing attention." She walked her fingers up his chest, trying to appear flirtatious. "And you really don't want Superman as an enemy."

He snorted, but paled none the less. "How would he know?"

She laughed lightly. "Come on now, sweetie. Are you forgetting that Superman has both super hearing and x-ray vision?" She smiled up coyly. "He knows." She whispered.

She could feel his pulse skyrocket under her fingertips. His breathing quickened as he stammered in vain attempt to speak. She gently smacked his chest. "Oh calm down. Leave him, I'll help you hide."

He breathed in relieve. "Really?"

She gave him a once over and allowed a small smirk to appear on her face. "For you, sweet pea? Anything."

A relieved grin spread across his face, and she stepped aside, pointing down the alley. "My ride is just around the corner."

The gullible man dropped her twin roughly to the ground and began walking toward the mouth of the alley, but the instant his back was turned Serafina's friendly emeralds turned cold. She brought her hand down in a karate chop on a nerve point that Dick had taught her, and the man dropped unconscious. She blew her hair out of her face and began helping her brother off the alley floor. The aerialist was staring at her, awe written like a book on his face. "Did you just-?"

"Flirt with a thirty-something year old man to save your ass? Yeah, I did." The youngest Grayson looked at her brother in concern. "You all right, Dickie-bird?"

"You know, I've been thinking."

"That's always dangerous."

"Shut up. Anyway, everyone in our family has a nickname except you."

"Why are you thinking about nicknames when I'm saving your butt?"

"My mind wanders, okay. But then it hit me."

"What? The secret to life, the universe, and everything?"

"No, the perfect nickname. Bruce is DaddyBats, I'm Dickie-bird, and you, my dear sister," he paused for dramatic effect, "are Ser-bear."

She looked at him, incredulous. "Seriously?" The short boy nodded. "Dude, you've been MIA for what, two hours and that's what you come up with?"

"Yeah, pretty much." She walked with him toward the Batmobile, assuming their father was still there. The teen stepped over the unconscious man, still lying on the ground. When she saw her brother turn back, she put a hand of his shoulder. "Leave him. He'll come to eventually."

Robin nodded and followed his little sister out to the Batmobile, where his mentor was waiting. He climbed in the shotgun seat while Serafina took the backseat. "Are you alright?" Batman asked.

The ebony looked to his father. "Yeah, nothing a hot shower won't fix."

The older man nodded and started the car, driving toward the Manor. It was quiet in the car until a stifled yawn was heard from the back. Dick grinned and turn around in his chair to face the girl in the back. "Tired Ser-bear?"

"Dick."

"Yes little sister?"

"Shut up."

* * *

_**A/N: There's chapter 5 for ya! Please leave a request, and please review!**_


	6. Halloween

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or anything in the DC universe. I also don't own the Duck Song.**_

_**A/N: Hello! Guys, PLEASE SEND ME REQUESTS! I really love them! Here's chapter six, a special Halloween one!**_

_**Thanks to HextheDaydreamer for her amazing idea for this chapter!**_

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Dick was practically buzzing with excitement. It was Halloween, a.k.a the one day Bruce let him run around Gotham with Roy and Wally with no supervision and a bunch of candy. That usually ended with at least half of the Manor covered in toilet paper or a. And to make it even better, his little sister was coming with them.

The doorbell rang, and the thirteen year old ran to the door, the cape of his Superman costume lapping against his ankles like a dog begging for his attention. He opened the door to his two redhead friends. "Hey guys."

A redhead Dracula and miniature version of the Flash greeted him. "Hey Dick." They walked into the Manor and looked expectantly around the room. "Where's Serafina?"

"Getting dressed. She still won't tell me what she's going as or let me see her costume." Roy and Wally glanced at each other, then up the staircase where they both knew her room was. If they strained their ears they could hear faint giggles through her door. Dick looked toward his two friends, leaned against the wall, and crossed his arms over his chest. "So Wally, when are you going to be something other than the Flash for Halloween?"

Wally's face grew both indignant and red as he stuttered. "I… it… but… don't judge me!"

Roy laughed at his little brother's antics as they continued to argue, but they stopped when they heard Alfred come out of Serafina's room. "Is she ready yet?" Wally asked impatiently. He wanted candy!

Alfred nodded politely. "Indeed she is, Mister Wallace. And Miss Serafina wishes to surprise you. If you three gentleman will please close your eyes."

The three teenage boys shared a look. Dick shrugged, obediently closing his sapphire eyes. Roy and Wally followed his example, and they heard a door open. "Alfred, are their eyes shut?"

"Yes Miss Serafina."

The sound of light footsteps and stifled giggles met their ears. They heard what sounded like a person sitting on a creaky wood chair and fabric rustling. "Okay boys. You can look."

They did and had to blink a couple times to make sure their eyes weren't playing tricks on them. Sure enough, Serafina was in front of them, sitting on the handrail with her knees crossed. And she was decked in a Robin costume.

It had been modified to suit her feminine attributes. The top was still red with the stylized R on it, but it had been changed to a V-neck with sleeves the came down to about mid-bicep. Slender black gloves came up a little farther than Dick's real gloves did, about elbow length. Her cape fell across her shoulders like a rippling wave of black. The utility belt was still yellow and adorned with pockets, only modified to be a bit more slender to fit her body. Black pants led down from her hips past her ankles, hovering about an inch above the ground. A pair of black wedge boot with a 3-inch heel on them were on her feet. Her curly crimson hair spilled over her shoulders, sharp contrast with the black and canary yellow of the cape. She had chosen to leave off the mask, her sparkling emerald eyes accented by the bit of black eyeshadow she had chosen to wear. Small gold bat earrings shimmered in the blanket of red locks.

She laughed lightly and jumped off the banister, her heels clicking quietly on the polished wooden floor. "You guys's faces were priceless!" When they continued to stare in shock she snapped her fingers in front of their eyes. "Yo. Earth to teenagers. This is Mission Control telling you to snap out of it."

Dick was the first to regain his senses. "Sis… you look…"

Wally summed it up for all three of them. "Wow."

She beamed at the teens and twirled in front of them. "Do you like it? It took me nearly two weeks to make until I actually had the sense to ask Alfred for help. He was sworn to secrecy, naturally." Her skin practically glowed in excitement.

"Have you ever done this before?" Roy asked the redhead.

Her pretty face darken. "No. Where I was before we… if we went out on Halloween without them-or at all really- we were… not at our best afterwards."

Dick shot Roy a look, and he nodded. Message clear. _Shut up._

Wally, meanwhile, took Serafina's warm hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "Don't worry. You're safe here."

Dick's face brightened. "Yeah, cheer up, Ser-bear! This is gonna be a blast!"

The two male redheads looked at the female one. "Ser-bear?"

She giggled. "Long story involving me, him, and an alley."*

"Ah." They knew better then to ask.

The group walked toward the door and picked up their bags by the front door. The cool autumn air kissed their faces as they stepped into the long driveway of Wayne Manor. They went down the pavement, Serafina sprinting ahead of them in excitement.

"Serafina, slow down!" Dick called. He shook his head as she simply laughed in response.

"Why don't you try and catch me?" She yelled over her shoulder. Her hair streamed behind her as she ran, shoes smacking on the pavement. She finally did stop near the end, waiting impatiently. "Will you three hurry up! I didn't get all dressed up to stand and wait for you all night."

They indulged her, running the rest of the way to catch up. They walked together to the gates, where the property opened up to the streets, which were crawling with kids. The three boys grinned devilishly at each other and stepped into the fray, none noticing that the young redhead stopped at the iron wrought gate, her fingers wrapped around the cool metal. She stared out at the people, her emerald gems fixing on a group of little girls, all dressed up like porcelain dolls. _'They don't understand. They don't understand what it's like. They never will.'_

Dick halted when he realized his sister wasn't next to him anymore. He looked back the way they had come and spotted her clinging to the gate, eyes unmoving from the crowd. He drew the other boy's attention. "Guys."

They both stopped where they were and watched their little brother jog back toward the Manor. He stood in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Serafina. Hey sis, snap out of it."

She blinked and looked at him, eyes full of fear. "The-the dolls." She managed to choke out.

He looked up at the crowd and immediately spotted the throng of dressed up girls. His mind recalled something she said at their first meeting. _"Like we were dolls in a dollhouse."_ The ebony shuddered. "I had hoped you were kidding. Weren't you?"

She slowly shook her head. "No. I will never kidd about that." He noticed her eyes begin to moisten, tears she wouldn't let fall collecting there. He put a warm arm around her stock-still shoulders.

"Hey, it's okay. You're with us now. You're safe."

Her lower lip trembled slightly. "What if… what if they come for me? I wasn't supposed to go..."

"No one is going to take you. And if they try," he cracked his knuckles threateningly, "then they're gonna have to answer to me."

She nodded and smiled, mentally cursing herself at her own stupid reminiscence. "Yeah, I know. Sorry about my sentimentalism. I didn't mean to ruin the night."

"You didn't ruin it Ser-bear! The night's still young, the candy bowls are still full, and you have three trained heroes around. Now let's rock this town!"

She grinned ecstatically and grabbed his hand, yanking him along with her eager steps. They joined back up with Roy and Wally, and the group started their rounds.

* * *

By the time they had returned to the Manor the trio of boys had eaten about a quarter of their entire candy catch. Dick was chasing Wally around in a circle while Roy and Serafina watched on, amusement written across the redhead boy's face while the youngest Grayson was doubled over, her stomach throbbing from laughing so hard. "Dick," she said between gasps for air, "stop chasing Wally before someone mistakes you for a high drug addict!"

"RUN RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! YOU'LL NOT CATCH ME I'M THE WALLY-MAN!

"A DUCK WALKED UP TO A LEMONADE STAND AND HE SAID TO THE MAN RUNNING THE STAND-"

At that moment Wally tripped over his shoelace and fell over, making Dick fall over him and hit the ground with a plop. They both sat up with sugary grins on their faces as they belted out the next part. "HEY! BUM BUM BUM! GOT ANY GRAPES?!"

That was the final straw as Roy doubled over as well, laughing nearly as hard as his companion. They watched the other two teens run as they belted out the rest of the words to the Duck Song as loud and as high pitched as they could, each in their own horribly off key falsetto. Finally the sugar started to wear off, and they both collapsed into a heap on the pavement. Serafina smiled at them and joined the group. "Pile on!"

Roy grinned at his little "siblings" and jumped into the throng. They wrestled on the ground, their laughter echoing through now empty streets. After a bit Serafina stood back up, carding her fingers through her now messy hair and watched Wally put her brother in a headlock, driving his knuckles in his skull as he gave the raven a nuggie. She giggled softly and set a hand on her hip. "Come on guys, let's go inside. We're done trick-or-treating."

The two wrestling glanced at her while Roy untangled himself from the mess of limbs and capes. He dove into his bag, pushing aside heaps of candy. "The night's not over yet."

She frowned. "What do you mean? We finished-" Roy chucked a white roll behind his back, which she caught with ease. She turned it over in her hands, a sly smile creeping up on her face. "Seriously? You're going to TP the Manor?"

Wally shrugged and released Dick, taking a couple rolls for the other redhead boy. "It's kinda a tradition."

She nodded as the boys started, tossing toilet paper every which way across the yard and stringing it up in the towering trees. She handed one end of hers to Dick. "Hold this for a second, Dickie." She dug around in her fake utility belt and extracted a grappling hook. The sapphire eyes of her twin widened.

"Where did you get that?"

She smiled sheepishly. "I kinda raided your utility belt. Accuracy and all that jazz."

Dick simply rolled his eyes at her antics while she shot off the hook and flew through the air, her cape fluttering behind her as she carefully trailed the thin paper out in loops over the roof. Once they were satisfied with their work they stepped back, admiring the newly decorated Manor. Wally wiped away a fake tear. "It's so beautiful."

"Yeah. But something's missing…" Serafina glanced toward the garage where she paint of every color was stored. "Guys, I've got a devious idea."

The next morning Serafina helped Alfred and Bruce clean up the toilet paper off the yard. Meanwhile, Bruce ordered the three boys to wash the hot pink paint off the Batmobile and sweep the yellow and red glitter out of the Batcave. The _entire_ Batcave.

* * *

_**A/N: Woot! Another chapter up! Please send me requests guys and PLEASE REVIEW!**_

_*** - Reference to the previous chapter**_


	7. Of Broken Promises and Prison Breakouts

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or anything in the DC Universe. I own the OC and the plot.**_

_**A/N: Hey y'all! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you guys keep me writing. Here's chapter seven! Oh, and there's one little bad word close to the end.  
**_

_**This is a combo of two ideas from HextheDaydreamer, so special thanks to Hex for her amazing suggestions!**_

_**Also, once you're done with the chapter, read the authors note at the end. Don't skip the chapter though!**_

* * *

Serafina sighed in contentment as she allowed the last of the warm water to dribble down her shoulders before the turned the shower off. She twisted the water out her bloody red hair and curled it over her shoulder, wrapping a fluffy white towel around her slightly pink skin. Stray water drops found their way down her smooth legs to the floor. She opened her bathroom door and stepped into her semi-lit room, steam billowing out in her wake. She yanked on her pajama bottoms and a spaghetti strap top, and towel dried her hair. The still damp curls stuck to her skin like Scotch tape that's lost most of its stick. She opened her bedroom door and stepped into the comfortable coolness of the Manor's air. Her light footsteps made no sound on the polished oak floor as she walked down the hall to the grand staircase. Her skin was prickling with excitement. Dick had promised her, nighttime activities be willing, that they would watch a movie and have to brother-sister time. She knew he was planning to skip patrol, and would only go out if there was a serious situation. She met up with Alfred in the entertainment room. "Hey Alfred." She glanced around the depressingly empty room. "Where's Dick?"

"I'm sorry Miss Serafina, I regret to inform you that Master Dick was forced to go out on one of his nighttime escapade."

"Seriously?" She sighed. "Why?"

"It appears that there was an Arkham breakout."

Her ears pricked up at the word Arkham. "Who?" She knew he understood what she meant.

The Englishman hesitated, clearly not wanting to tell her. "Alfred. Who?"

He sighed in resignation. "The Joker."

It took a few seconds for the meaning of those two words to sink in. But when they did, chaos broke loose. "THE JOKER!? What the hell are they thinking?!"

"Miss Serafina, please calm down! I can assure you that Master Dick and Master Bruce are fully capable of looking after themselves."

She sat down on the couch and rubbed her eyes with the heels of his hands. "I know. Thank you, Alfred." She heard the butler's dress shoes clicking on the floor as he left, no doubt to go to the kitchen and put some cookies in the oven for the boys when they got home. In the meantime, her mind was a confusing whirl of thoughts and worries. What was he thinking? Was he okay? And why didn't he tell her?

He should have said something to her, even if he had just mentioned it was a breakout. Some kind of warning beforehand, and maybe she wouldn't be freaking out right now. Oh, who was she kidding? Of course she would be freaking out! This was the Joker and her big brother she was talking about here!

After she'd found out about her family's nighttime life, she had accessed the files that Bruce kept on his Rogues Gallery. If she was expected to be okay with all this she wanted to know anything and everything about the people her big brother faced everyday. She had known before she had looked that the Joker would be bad, from all the stories that she had heard out on the streets. But Batman's file on him petrified her. For weeks after she read it she would sneak into her brother's room at night for comfort from nightmares and question him before he and Bruce left on exactly what they was intending on doing that night. He knew she was scared of Joker and absolutely terrified of what the madman could and would do to him. So why wouldn't he tell her he was going?

The redhead laid down on her side and curled up, sighing as she slipped a soft blue pillow under her head. Of course he wouldn't tell her. He knew she would never let him leave the Manor if she knew the Joker was out there, etching a scarlet path of blood through the streets. And that was a risk he couldn't take. Maybe he was trying to save her sanity and her sleep, knowing she wouldn't go to bed until he came home and would worry herself out of her mind. But he still shouldn't have kept something like this from her. She could have helped from the Batcave. She knew they had cameras and comm links built into their masks, she could have been watching their backs. It was better than just sitting around here waiting for him to come home. She hated feeling so useless to her new family. She hated it with a _passion_.

The youngest Grayson yawned and nestled her head into the pillow. All this thinking was making her tired. But she wanted to stay awake until Dick and Bruce came back, so she could yell at them for leaving without telling her where they were going. _'I'm sure nothing will happen if I close my eyes for a second…'_

* * *

"Serafina?" A warm hand was shaking her shoulder, pulling her into consciousness. "Ser-bear, wake up. It's me, little sis." She opened her sleepy emerald irises to see a pair of familiar sapphire eyes. A smile lit up her face and she threw her arms around her neck. "Dick!"

Said ebony was pushed back on his heels by her force. He laughed and hugged her in return. "Hey there. Sorry I missed movie night, minor situation I had to deal with."

Her smile turned into a frown marring her pretty features. She pulled back and slapped him. "Minor situation!" she's screamed. "The Joker is not a minor situation!"

His hissed out a curse under his breath. "Alfred told you."

"Damn right he did! And when were you going to tell me, or were you just going to let me believe a lie?"

"Ser-bear I-"

"Why didn't you say something to me? I could've been down in the Batcave, I would have had your backs! God, Dick, it's the freakin' Joker we're talking about!"

"No, it's not!" That silenced her as Dick explained. "The report that was filed was wrong. The guards were paid off to say Joker escaped."

"Why on earth would someone do something stupid like that?"

"Who knows? The point is it was barely even a fight. I'm fine."

She sighed in relieve and hugged him again. "Don't ever do that again. Ever."

He patted her back. "No promises, baby sister. No promises." He pulled her up and put a comforting arm around her shoulder, and the duo walked toward their bedrooms.

* * *

Bruce had his cowl pulled down and was in the midst of studying the information displayed on his massive computer screen when he heard someone behind him clear their throat. "I'm not hungry, Alfred."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I don't have for you."

He turned his chair around to see his daughter standing before him. She was barefoot, the hem of her yoga pant brushing the cave ground. Her white spaghetti strap top seemed to glow in the blue screen lighting. "Serafina." The billionaire laced his gloved fingers together and put them under his chin. "What can I do for you?"

She brushed her crimson curls out of her shining green eyes. "I have something to ask of you."

"Okay. What?"

"I can't take it anymore. I want you to train me." She looked up at him. "Make me one of your birds."

* * *

_**A/N: Woot! Chapter seven done! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter!**_

_**Okay, here's the question I have for y'all. I've been thinking about giving Serafina powers. I know exactly how I want to do it if I do, and it probably won't happen for a few more chapters. It's not set in stone, so I want to get you guys's opinions. Do you guys think I should give her powers? It may not happen, it's just an idea.**_

_**That's my question for you guys, please leave your response and ay ideas for chapters you have in a review. Please review!**_


	8. Monsters in the Dark

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or anyone in the DC universe. I own the OC.**_

_**A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks to all the amazing people who reviewed the last chapter, you guys are amazing. Only two person responded to my question, though. I need more responses & requests, so please send 'em to me. I'll restate the question at the bottom. For now, though, here's chapter 8. No one requested this one, it was a plot bunny I got while thinking up one-shots. Enjoy!**_

* * *

It was about three months into Serafina's training with Bruce. The duo had managed to keep it a secret from Dick, keeping him from stopping their work. Bruce had asked several times already if the redhead was sure this was what she wanted, and each time she answered more confident than the last. He had quickly figured out that she was a natural ninja, swift and sneaky, the first time she had managed to sneak behind the computer console and stay there for two hours without him noticing she was there. He had also discovered she was a master of disguise, having had plenty practice with makeup and refining her acting skills in her former home. After the third time she'd fooled him into thinking that some poor person had wandered into the Batcave on accident he had cut off her disguise training and focused on other areas. She was a born acrobat, just like her brother, and she was just as much of a showoff. She was light on her feet, quick with her mind, and gifted with a sharp tongue. But there was one thing that he noticed almost immediately when she began training with him.

She _hated_ to hit people.

It didn't matter what he told her, it didn't matter what simulation he put her in, she just hated to hit people. Robots she was fine with, she could drop kick those into next week, but the second there was a person in her way the punches stopped. She would dance around them, flitting so quickly and so randomly even the computer would get confused trying to track her. She actually managed to make it overheat a couple times trying to keep tabs on her. She would use anything at her disposal for the take down except physical contact. Bruce had thought it was just an initial reluctance that would eventually be worked over. Dick had the same problem the first few weeks he had been in training. No, Bruce didn't realize how serious the problem was until she couldn't touch The Joker.

He knew how much she despised the psychotic killer, almost more than he did. Even when the madman's name was just mentioned briefly he could see her tense up and immediately seek out either Dick or himself, whichever happened to be closer. Dick had told him about her small breakdown after she read the file on him, about how she wouldn't let him out of her sight unless she knew exactly where he was. She had of course gotten over it eventually, but it still nagged at the back of her mind. Then he had put her in a simulation.

The scenario was really very simple. The Grayson twins were out on patrol on their own when Joker showed up. Robin was down for the count, and Batman was too far away to get there any time soon. It was up to her to take the cackling maniac down. So what did she do?

She danced.

The only problem was that she couldn't fly around him like the graceful bird she was and protect her brother at the same time. The simulation had ended with her on her back and Joker towering over her, his crimson lips curled into a snarling smile and a foot place firmly on her chest to keep her down. His hand reached up to the acid filled flower on his suit, and Batman had cut the simulation, the image fizzling out before her eyes. She pushed herself to her feet and left the Batcave without another word to her mentor. When he had come upstairs about an hour later Alfred told him that she had showered and gone to bed. Bruce had simply nodded in response and gone to his own room for a decent night's sleep.

* * *

Dick Grayson was pulled out of his dreams by low murmurs he could hear through the walls of his bedroom. He kicked off the jet black sheets and set his bare feet on the soft carpeting. He jogged into the hallway and turned into his sister's room, where the source of the sounds seemed to be. He nudged the door open and peeked into the darkened room. "Ser-bear?"

He could just barely make out her form, buried under her blankets. She was clearly upset, trapped in whatever twisted fantasies her mind had conjured up. She dug her head back in the pillow, arching her back and moaning pitifully. Dick darted forward and put a hand on her sweaty forehead. "Serafina, wake up."

His cool touch against her skin snapped the redhead out of it, and she shot straight up, chest heaving with gasps. She looked at her brother and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder. He could feel wetness leaking from her emerald colored eyes. The raven haired teen patted her back. "Little sis?"

She swallowed heavily. "Joker."

Understanding and sympathy immediately spread across his features. "Hey it's okay, Ser-bear. He's not gonna hurt me. He isn't going to get me here, he's just a person."

Her grip on him subconsciously tightened. "No." She murmured to herself. "No he's not."

* * *

The next day Bruce came down to the Batcave while Dick was out with Wally and Roy to find his daughter hard at work in the simulator. The scenario was the same as it had been the day before, though the results were drastically different. He watched her knee the fake Joker in the groin and then drive a hard punch into his gut. She roundhouse kicked him in the face and drove him back into the wall, slamming his head into the bricks. The laughing maniac fell blissfully silent and sagged, flickering out of existence and the background going with it. The youngest Grayson was left alone with Batman, who was giving her a calm stare, waiting. For the first time she seemed to notice the older man's presence as she stretched her arms over her head and glanced at him. "He's not a person. He's a monster."

"Serafina-"

"Don't. He's a monster, and that means I can hit him. So he's not a person."

He watched in silence as she picked up a few batarangs and flipped them over in her hands. He turned on his heel with a great cape flourish and walked away, leave her alone with the sound of metal slicing through cold cave air.

* * *

**_A/N: So it was kinda dumb, didn't really turn out the way I would have liked it, but I can live with it. I really am sorry it's a little late. As for my question, I'm thinking about giving Serafina powers, so leave you thoughts on whether or not I should in a review. Please leave a request and PLEASE REVIEW!_**


	9. A Plague on Both Your Houses

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or anyone in the DC Universe. I own the OC.**_

_**A/N: I AM SO FREAKIN SORRY! I haven't updated this in months! In my defense, I just switched from a college prep Physics class to an Honors level, so I've had a whole semester of catch up work to do. And I've had Driver's Ed taking up my afternoons. Before that I lost most of my stories. I would also like to explain both part of why I've been so late and the inspiration for this chapter. Recently I rediscovered how flippin' much I adore Shakespeare, more specifically Romeo and Juliet. I have started several stories revolving around that universe, which has taken time away from this. However, a guest review jarred me back into motion on this story, but I also wanted to do some more stuff with Shakespeare, so this happened. I cast Serafina as my favorite character in the play: props to anyone who can figure it out before it tells you and without looking at the play. It's probably been made to obvious, but whatever.**_

_**Spoilers for Batman Incorporated 8 here. I would just like to take a moment and say... WHAT THE HELL DC?! YOU KILLED DAMIAN! NOOOOOOO! THAT BOAT ALREADY SAILED WITH JASON TODD, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! GAH!**_

_**Okay, rant over. Sorry about that. For now, please enjoy... and don't kill me for being so late…**_

* * *

Serafina staggered back, her curls falling in her face. Black wedge heels clicked on the hard wood floor, the belt cinched at her waist rubbing uncomfortable against her skin through the fabric of her inky blue circle top. She pressed her hands hard over her stomach, hissing in pain. _'What is with me? Why can't I think, why is the room spinning? Damn it, this is not what I signed up for… why won't my brain work!'_

"Stop, stop!" Serafina glanced up at the 40-something year old woman sitting directly in front of her. She was rubbing the bridge of her nose, frustration seeping into her voice. "You missed it again!"

The scarlet haired youth straightened up and tossed her hair over her shoulder, setting her hands on her hips. "For the record, my cue is for him to do his evil laugh thing. He's the one screwing me up."

"Thanks so much, 'fina. Thanks." The brown haired boy who's named escaped her at the moment rolled his eyes and cracked his back. The youngest Grayson smiled and returned to her first position, picking up the long metal weapon she had dropped. She glanced at her brother, who was pulling at the collar of his royal blue shirt. She laughed and nudged him with the tip of her blade. "Having fun?"

"Ha ha." He said sarcastically. "Absolutely fantastic. Just remember that it was your idea to put me in this monkey suit, Ser-bear."

"Yeah, but you know you love the attention." Serafina slid her blade into its sheath and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Besides, you're great at this! A natural Romeo."

"Ms Grayson, to you position please." The woman, Mrs. Coddle, stood and crossed her arms over her white blouse. "Tommy," she addressed the brown haired boy, "start with your drawing."

Tommy nodded as Serafina stood in front of him, legs apart and fingertips brushing the hilt of her weapon. He outright drew his. "What wouldst thou have with me?"

She brandished her own sword, tossing it from hand to hand and smiling teasingly. "Good King of Cats, nothing but one of your nine lives."

He returned with a threatening grin of his own. "Then I am for you."

She felt Dick's warm skin touch hers, wrapping his hand around her wrist. "Gentle Mercutio, put they rapier up."

She threw him off. "Come sir, your passado."

The first swing came fast from the left. She blocked it with ease and lunged, the tip of her blade narrowly missing his stomach. He batted it away and stabbed, and she caught it on the hilt. She forced the blade to the ground and set her foot down on it, trapping it between the hard wood stage and the heel of her shoe. She brought her knee up to his face, knocking her opponent backwards. The force wrenched the blade free of her foot. Tommy growled in the back of his throat and swung his sword above his head while he ran at her, jaw set in determination. He swung at her over and over, and she parked each strike like it was wind whispering in her ear. She heard her brother shouting something to one of the other actors, and then he was between them. "Hold Tybalt! Good Mercutio!"

Tommy shoved Dick out of the way and grabbed Serafina by the shoulders, yanking her forward onto his blade. The redhead felt her breath hitch in her throat, the cold tip pressed against her stomach sending shivers down her spine. Dick's hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back toward him, her sword slipping from her lax grip and clattering to the floor. She again pressed her hands against her stomach, but this time a deep chuckle rang in her ears, followed by feet pounding against the floorboards as he fled. Her eyes widened and she stared at the ground, clenching the fabric of the shirt around her "wound" in a fist. "I am hurt!" Her voice was soft but clear, almost a hiss of disbelief. She looked up at her brother, anger burning in emerald irises. "A plague on both your houses! I am sped. Is he gone and hath nothing?"

She heard a voice behind her call out, "What, art thou hurt?"

Serafina freed herself of Dick's grip, staggering away from him while waving a hand dismissively, trying to maintain composure. "Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch." Her hand flew back down. "Marry, 'tis enough."

Dick furrowed his eyebrows. "Courage man. The hurt cannot be much."

She laughed. "No, 'tis not as deep as a well, nor as wide as a church door. But 'tis enough, 'twill serve. Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man." She slipped down to her knees. "I am pepper'd, I warrant, for this world." Her voice abruptly changed from resigned and calm to angry. "A plague on both you houses!" Turning to Dick, she threw a hand out like she as questioning him. "Why the devil came you between us? I was hurt under you arm."

At that moment Dick resembled something of a helpless baby. "I- I thought all for the best."

_'Of course you did. You always do.'_ She turned away from him and stumbled towards the other boy on stage, a blonde named Cameron, who was ready to catch her. "Help me into some house, Benvolio, or I shall faint." He began to guide her away, but she turned to face her brother, so it was more like he was dragging her. "A plague on both your houses! They have made worm's meat of me! I have it, and soundly too." She threw her head back and screamed as loud as she could at the heavens, scarlet locks brushing her back. "Your houses!" She felt herself drop out of the blonde's grip, sinking to her knees before her body gave out on her and she met the floor. Her emerald eyes were still open as they stared blankly at the ceiling before Cameron's face appeared in her line of vision. She felt his hands grip her shirt, shaking her and screaming "Mercutio!" over and over again. Before to long Dick's face was there too, fake tears in his eyes. She responded to neither, just lay there, completely still. She heard the scene going on around her, Dick- or Romeo- screaming words of revenge and savagely going after the brunette Tybalt, who had returned to the stage. She listened to Lady Capulet call for revenge and the blonde Benvolio attempt to defend Romeo. Before to long she felt his arms under her knees and armpits, picking her up off the floor and carrying her backstage. Once they were off she snapped her head back up, blinking rapidly. "God that was starting to sting. Can't I just turn my head the other way?"

He smiled. "Come on, all you have to do is stare. How hard can it be?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. That and hold my breath and stay perfectly still. I'd like to see you try."

He shrugged. "I just might try that sometimes."

She snorted as they walked back on the stage. Mrs. Coddle was giving Tommy and Dick instruction: how to put more emotion into their acting, use the entire stage, etcetera. "Yeah. Remind me to bring a video recorder that day." They stayed put until their teacher finally noticed their arrival. She clapped her hands together.

"And here is the lady of the hour!" In spite of herself she felt a blush tinge her cheeks pink, and Cameron smiled at her. "Beautiful performance, Miss Grayson! Such power and emotion and-"

Serafina held up a hand. "I'm gonna have to stop you there before my face goes completely red and I turn into a tomato."

She smiled and nodded. "Of course. Go change, all of you. I look forward to the show tomorrow night."

The entire cast immediately burst into conversation as they made their way back to the back rooms of the auditorium. Serafina waved to her brother and turned into the girls changing room. All the other female cast members were already there, changed or in the process. Most of them were okey: the fifteen year old playing Lady Montague was shy and Lady Capulet was a sweet, quiet fourteen year old who went to Gotham Academy with her. She liked the girl who played the nurse: she was funny and easy to be around, and she reminded her a lot of Dick. The only girl on the cast she didn't really like was the one who played Juliet, a thirteen year old named Charm. Maybe she was being a little harsh when she said she was a loudmouth, self absorbed brat who thought herself better than everyone else, but she was being totally truthful. Charm had been nothing but a bitch to her since day one, and she didn't exactly endear herself to Serafina by trying to make Dick think her to be sexy. Honestly she didn't like the idea of Dick having to kiss her on stage, but there wasn't much she could do about it._ 'At least she can't tease me about my looks like all the other girls,'_ the redhead thought to herself as she peeled off the top of her costume and replaced it with a shirt of her own. Her acrobatic lifestyle, coupled with her training, gave her a lean, strong figure most girls would envy, and she knew Charm hated that she was so trim. She switched out her pants and heels for jeans and flats, hanging up her clothes in one of the lockers that had been installed last month. She waved goodbye to the other girls in the room and walked out of the room, nodding to Mrs. Coddle as she passed. The cool air hit her like a slap to the face as she walked to the tell-tale black Bentley sitting at the curb. Dick was already inside when she slid into the passenger seat, scanning a text message. She buckled her seat belt as the car pulled away from the curb and Dick responded to the message, turning his phone off when he was done. Alfred glanced at his young charges in the rear view mirror. "How was your day, Miss Serafina?"

Said Grayson shrugged. "It was okay. Boring as all heck, but okay."

The trio chatted the whole way back to the Manor, talking about their respective days, homework, and the twin's upcoming performance. The discussion reminded the youngest Grayson of a pressing question. "Is Bruce home yet?"

A pause, then Alfred's apologetic voice. "I'm afraid not, Miss Serafina. He is still away on business." The redhead's face fell, though she tried to keep herself from being too disappointed. Bruce had warned her when he left for a League mission that chances were that he would be able to come see her in Romeo and Juliet. Still, after they had returned home and both of the Grayson children showered and gone to bed, she didn't object when Dick wordlessly took her hand and tugged her into his room, letting her share the bed with him.

* * *

The stage lights glared down at the stage. Cheerful music played in the background, the flute and the drum and the guitar. The Grayson twins pranced up on the stage, Serafina on Dick right and Cameron on his left. It was show night, and so far everything had gone of without a hitch. The redhead smoothly detached herself from Dick's side and wandered toward the group that was following them around, acting interested in the conversation. She heard Dick and Cameron saying lines behind her, and she took a moment to steal a glance at the audience. The auditorium was full to the brim, people jamming into any space they possibly could. Alfred was fairly easy to spot: his crisp suit stood out like a light against the casual blue jeans and t-shirts the rest of the audience had donned. And sitting next to him was the one person she hadn't expected to see: Bruce Wayne. His hair was messed up and he looked dead tired, but he was smiling at her nonetheless. Their eyes met for a split second, and he nodded slightly, a silent message of I'm proud of you.

Her green eyes sparkled, and a smile burst across her face as she turned on her heel and sauntered up to the two boys, arms spread wide and laughter bubbling on her lips. "Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance!"

It was the beginning of the best night of Serafina Grayson's life.

* * *

_**A/N: Yeah, it probably wasn't worth the wait, but I'm really so stressed right now it's the best I could come up with on the fly. I'm still taking suggestions for chapters, and answers to my previously stated question. Leave them in a review, please. Thanks y'all, and please review!**_


	10. New Friends in Iron Suits

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or anyone in the DC Universe. I also don't own our dear guest star or the universe he hails from._**  
**_A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back and ready to roll with a new chapter! Hope y'all enjoy it, and don't forget to review! I love seeing how you respond to these chapters!_**

* * *

Soft piano music wafted up the stairs of Wayne Manor. The muted murmur of conversation below seeped into the youngest Grayson's room through the floor, mingling with the piano to create an almost mellow atmosphere. Dick knocked lightly on his sister's door. "You decent?"

He heard a sigh from inside the room. "As decent as I'll ever be."

Dick smirked as he cracked the door open and slipped into the room, closing the door softly behind her. He gave her a once over and whistled. "Dang, Ser-bear. You clean up nicely."

Serafina smiled and twirled around experimentally. "Do you think? It's a bit… flashy."

Her brother shrugged and held out a hand. "You'll get used to it. These things are usually murder, but you'll get used to the flashiness of it all. At least you get better ventilation. I feel like I'm back in Shakespeare."

She giggled and made a show of taking his hand, blushing prettily for good measure. "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?"

Dick threw his head back and laughed, spinning her around under his arm. "What, no clever retort for me, Mercutio?"

She struck a dramatic pose as she improvised, still holding his hand. "If it is wordplay that thou dost desire, then couple it with something: make it a word and a blow."

He raised an eyebrow and drew her in close. "What, dost thou take the lover Romeo and turn him into the villain, Tybalt?"

Serafina stepped in, so close their noses were nearly touching. He was expecting some witty, cunning comeback, but instead she simply deadpanned, "The moment when your brother-sister bonding time consists of screwing around with Shakespeare."

Dick barked out a laugh and hugged his sister. "And no doubt if Romeo had really existed he would swoon over you in a heartbeat."

She turned back to her floor length mirror, studying her reflection. "Personally I would much prefer to have Mercutio, but I'll take what I can get."

"Still, you look fantastic. Watch out, Juliet, you've got some competition."

She smirked, eyes never leaving the polished surface of the mirror. "You flatter me too much." She spun around a final time, her skirt swishing around her knees. She wore a lapis lazuli blue dress with cap sleeves. The bodice was skin tight, a well fitting, semi-low cut V-neck that showed off just enough tan flesh. The skirt of the dress hung a little above her knees, fanning out when she spun around. She hadn't been allowed to wear her usual black boots, trading them for a pair of silver 3-inch heels. The neckline of the dress was studded with small silver gemstones, as well as a slender line of the same crystals along her waist. She wasn't wearing much by way of jewelry: just a pair of silver corkscrew earrings and a slim silver bracelet.  
Her hair was freshly washed and left loose, soft ringlets of scarlet cascading down her back.

A soft knock on her door, then Bruce's face appeared in the doorway. "Ready?"

Serafina took a deep breath and grinned sheepishly. "Would I still have to do it if I said no?"

"Yes."

"Then I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." She took Dick's hand and allowed herself to be escorted from the safety of her room, stopping just shy of the top of the grand staircase. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled experimentally a few times just to psyche herself up. She looked at her brother and nodded. "Let's do it."

Dick grinned at her and lead her down the stairs.

* * *

The next hour was one of the most hectic of her life.

She was yanked away from Dick almost immediately, his brother pulled into a group of older looking gentlemen and herself into one of younger women wearing too much makeup and not enough clothes. They were all talking at once, firing questions at a million miles a minute: what was her name, where did she come from, how did she get there, was that her natural hair color. She tried to answer questions where she could, but for the most part she just followed her brother's advice: just smile and nod. If she was perfectly honest with herself, she was more terrified now than she had been when she was sneaking out of her previous home. At least when she had been doing that she didn't feel like she was the main attraction in some kind of sick freakshow. Everywhere she turned people were staring at her, giving her a critical once over like she was a dress or a pair of shoes they were thinking about purchasing. She could hear the hum of whispering beneath the loud chatter, socialites hissing words behind cupped hands to each other and sometimes pointing at her. Of course she acted like she didn't notice or particularly care, but secretly she was so terrified that she could feel herself quivering where she stood. Normally Serafina was perfectly fine in crowds, but all these rich women with fake laughs and even faker smiles were making her nervous and edgy. When she finally managed to escape the mob of women she made her way to the side where there was a table of fruit punch for underage guests. She took one of the glass cocktail cups of the table and tried to scoop some of the pink liquid out to pour into the glass, but her hands were shaking so bad she couldn't hold either of them still long enough. Frustrated, she dropped the ladle back into the bowl and ran her hand over her face. "Damn it."

"Need some help?" The redhead glanced up to look at the man who had spoken to her. He was tallish and fairly well built with brown hair and dark chocolate eyes. He was dressed in typical businessman style: a simple black tux, collared white shirt, and black tie. With a wine glass in one hand he looked perfectly formal, but there was a little twinkle in his eyes that told her there was a much more mischievous man lingering just under the surface.

She blushed a bit in response. "Please." He nodded and set his drink down, taking her glass from her and pouring in some of the punch before handing it back to her. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Both of them took sips of their drinks before he spoke again. "First time?"

She grinned sheepishly. "Is it that obvious?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, lips quirking up. "Just a little. Don't worry, you'll get used to it." He switched his glass to his free hand, offering her the other. "Tony Stark."

She took his hand and shook it firmly. "Serafina Grayson."

Realization dawned on his face. "So you're the mystery lady everyone's been whispering about."

She rolled her eyes, swirling the pink drink around in her glass. "Yeah, that would be me." She dropped her eyes to the cup in her hands. "I told Dick this was a bad idea."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. Snooty rich people are gonna find something to whisper about no matter what's going on. They have a tendency to make mountains the size of Everest out of molehills."

"Sounds to me like you've had experience."

"Like you wouldn't believe."

The emerald eyed Grayson smiled a bit. "So then you are aware that by attending this gala you're pretty much automatically stuck in the category of 'snooty rich people'?"

He shrugged again, eyes flitting around the room. "Yeah well, we also have a tendency to turn on each other, so it doesn't bother me much."

She laughed and took another sip. "Well Mr. Stark-"

"Tony," he cut her off.

She smiled graciously "Tony, if it's any solace, seeing as how I don't get much news from outside of Gotham- and I know you're not from around here- I won't be doing any whispering about you tonight."

He looked at her in passive interest. "What makes you so sure I'm not from around here?"

She set her glass down and leaned against the table, smirking like she knew a secret he didn't. "You're too clean, too pretty to be a native." At his confused look she sighed tiredly, like she had said this a dozen times before. "Gotham has a way of making even the cleanest of people dirty. It's a corrupt and filthy city, inside and out, and you can't live here without carrying that around with you. I mean look at me: I'm not even fourteen and yet you can take one look at my eyes and tell that I'm ten times more jaded than anyone you've ever met. People in Gotham never manage to hang onto innocence as long as others seem to."

His dark eyes clouded over. "Well I'm not exactly a new born baby, am I?"

"Oh you're far from innocent, I can see that just by looking at you. No adult truly is, no matter where you're from, and you've obviously been through something that stole any you had left away from you. No, you've got a different kind of innocence. One that tells me you haven't seen what Gotham can do. You can go to the deepest pits of hell and it will never scar you the way Gotham does. This city is a cesspool of shit that takes people in and spits them back out compromised and damaged, scarring them for life both physically and mentally. And you bear none of those scars."

He gave her a once over. "I don't see any on you."

She smiled sadly and shook her head. "Oh no, they're there alright. I've just gotten very good at hiding them."

Tony had just opened his mouth, probably to make a snarky comment, when there was a loud crashing sound from the entrance hallway followed by several women screaming. Drink forgotten on the table the redhead whirled around to see a swarm of buff men enter the room with machine guns held at hip level. 'Okay, an army of gun toting lackies. I can deal with that.' Her field of vision was suddenly cut off when Tony stepped in front of her, but she stood on her tiptoes to see the mastermind enter the room.

Serafina fought her reflex to gag when she saw Two Face enter the room. Sure she had read the file: at this point she practically had it memorized, but no pictures or words could really prepare her for real life. She could only see the scarred side of his face, where skin had been melted away and flesh seared, leaving only burned muscle behind for display. The billionaire in front of her cleared his throat and murmured over his shoulders to her, "I take it that guy isn't very good at hiding scars."

"His name is Two Face," she hissed in his ear. "He used to be Harvey Dent, the old district attorney, but an accident happened and it left half of his face like that. He's had multiple personality disorder and an obsession with twos ever since."

"Ladies and gentlemen." The booming voice of the former DA called out. "As you know, this is a robbery. If you will place your valuables in the bags-" a few of the men held up canvas bags "- all of you will leave here alive."

Serafina's emerald eyes did a quick scan of the room. She could see Dick on the other side of the room, watching Two Face carefully. She didn't see Bruce anywhere, but she did see several people taking out cellphones in a way that they seemed to think was very stealthy, but really was rather obvious.

Unfortunately as soon as she noticed Two Face did too. He withdrew a small black remote with a single red button from his coat pocket. "Ah ah ah. No cell phones allowed." He pressed the button and the redhead had just enough time to see that all the electronics in the house were beeping and buzzing and generally going haywire before she realized that Tony was falling on top of her.

She somehow managed to get her arms under his armpits, and while he was too heavy for her to keep upright, she made her own fall less awkward and carefully lower him to the ground. She was fairly sure that no one had saw them, and they were fairly well hidden by the table they were behind, so she knelt and cradled the businessman's head on her knees. "Tony? Tony what's going on?"

The brunette seemed to be having issues breathing, but his eyes sought out hers. "Bathroom."

"What?"

He tried to roll over on his side, but the action seemed to give him difficulty, so he ended up back where he was. "Get me in a bathroom."

"Um…" She scanned the room until she spotted a slightly open bathroom door. "You're in luck, Mr. Stark."

"Take this too." He passed her a briefcase she hadn't seen him with, but she didn't have time for questions. He was still struggling to breath properly, clutching at his chest and hands lingering just over his heart. As carefully and quietly as she could she looped her arms under his armpits and around his chest, the handle of the case fisted in her right hand. She dragged him to the end of the table, which left them about five feet away from the door. Serafina peeked around the edge and slid the case on its side across the carpet floor, smirking to herself when it disappeared into the darkness into the bathroom. She knelt next to Tony's head and whispered, "This might hurt a bit."

"Just do it." He grit out.

She nodded and once again looped her arms around him, taking a deep breath before quickly dragging him across the floor, putting them both in plain sight before they too vanished.

Once they were inside the youngest Grayson peered around the door and, satisfied that they had passed unnoticed, silently shut the door. She didn't dare turn the lights up very high, but she did turn them up just enough to see by. In the new lighting the New York billionaire looked entirely too pale to be healthy, his dark eyes squeezed shut and his hands balling his shirt into fists. She knelt next to him, shaking him lightly by the shoulders to get him to open his eyes. "Tony, what's going on?" She glanced nervously behind her. "What was that thing?"

The brunette unbuttoned his suit jacket and opened in, breaths uneven as he fumbled with his shirt buttons. "EMP emitter."

Serafina sat back on her heels, carding her fingers through her loose scarlet curls. "Electromagnetic pulses? But those only effect electronics, why would they do anything to y-" At that moment Stark got the last button undone and he ripped open the shirt, revealing the soft blue light of the arc reactor in his chest. Serafina's eyes went wide in the new light and she let out a quiet squeak. "Oh." As she watched the light flickered, dimming until it was almost out before brightening up again. "Is it supposed to do that?"

"If it was there wouldn't be a problem now, would there." He shot back. She was about to bite a remark back at him until his face seized up and he curled up on his side, making a little wretching sound in the back of his throat. The redhead's eyebrows knit together in concern, smart remark forgotten as she rolled the man back on his back, gently prying his hands away from the reactor. "Hey hey hey. Easy, easy. Just tell me what you need me to do."

The spasm of pain passed fairly quickly, and brown eyes finally returned to meet green. "You need to replace it."

"Okay. How?" A smile quirked up on his face and he opened his mouth to say something, but she put a finger on his lips. "And no snarky comments. Just walk me through it."

Tony leaned his head back onto the tiles of the bathroom floor, glancing between her and the flickering machine in his chest. "Okay. First thing you need to do is take it by the rim-" she carefully placed her fingertips on the edges of the reactor and shot him a look for confirmation "-just like that. Now twist it to the left and lift it straight up." The redhead slowly turned the machine in her hands, the blue light illuminating her face. When she felt in unlock in her hand she carefully lifted it out of the metal casing in his chest. She raised it up as far as it would go while it was attached to the wire that held it in the casing. "There you go, that's good. Now just yank it out." She didn't dare to question him, and the cable sparked as it was pulled out. She set the still glowing object on the ground next to her and turned back to Tony. "Now what?"

"Do you see a copper wire down there?" The youngest Grayson held back her hair and peered down into the hole in the man's chest, eyes settling on a shiny, thin wire.

"Yeah, I see it."

"Okay, now reach down in the socket and just very carefully lift it out, but don't let it touch the sides."

She glanced up at his face as she slid her fingers into the hole. "So it's like Operation?"

He smiled reassuringly. "Exactly."

Her face twisted in concentration as she felt around for the wire, but her face lit up in relief when she felt her fingers close around it. However, her unspoken nervousness was making her hands shake again, and the moment she started to lift the wire out it touched the side of the metal casing. The buzz of electricity was audible, and on the floor Tony stiffened, biting his lip to keep from making a sound.

She dropped the wire and flipped her hair out of her eyes, blinking rapidly, trying to convince herself that frustration wasn't making tears prickle in her eyes. "Damn it. I'm sorry, Tony, I'm sorry." Nervousness seeped into her voice.

He shook his head, chocolate eyes seeking out hers. "It's okay, we'll make it work. Try again."

She nodded and took a deep breath to try to calm down, reaching back in and finding the copper strand almost immediately. Despite all her efforts her hands refused to stop shaking, and she sighed in frustration. "This thing is only coming out one way."

"Fine, just don't pull out the-" He was cut off by her pulling one the wire as hard as she could, yanking out both it and the circular magnet at the end. Tony's breathing became much louder and erratic. "-magnet on the end. Okay, I was not expecting that one…"

Serafina dropped the magnet. "What? What's wrong, what did I do? What's going on?"

He looked down at the hole in his chest. "Oh nothing, I'm just going into cardiac arrest…"

Her emerald green eyes widened in panic. "Oh my God. Well, I'd apologize but I really don't think that's gonna cut it at this point."

"We gotta hurry." The brunette's eyes alighted on the briefcase next to her. "There should be another one in there somewhere."

The redhead took the suitcase off the floor and put in her lap, undoing the buckles on either side of the handle. When she opened it she found a metal rectangle taking up the majority of the space, and in the corner was another glowing reactor just like the one she had just taken out of Tony's chest. She gingerly lifted it and nudged the suitcase out of her lap with her elbow. "Do you just keep these things lying around?"

Tony shot her a look. "Can we just focus, please?"

Serafina smiled apologetically, leaning over the metal socket. "Sorry, I'm snarky when I'm scared."

Tony leaned his head back into the floor. "Okay, now just attach it to the base plate." She held the cable at the end of the reactor and carefully lowered it into the hole. "And make s-sure you…" His voice started to fade as his eyes fluttered closed. At that moment she found where the cable should go, and she plugged it into the base plate. A loud electrical buzz sounded, and the billionaire's eyes snapped open. Serafina released a breath she didn't know she had been holding and pushed the ARC reactor into the casing, rotating it to the right until she heard it lock in place. She held her hands up like she was surrendering as the dark eyes man pushed himself up on his elbows. The soft blue light radiating from the machine was a new found comfort to her. It let her know that she did it right and that Tony was still alive. "I'm done.

Tony glanced down at the glowing machinery then back up at her. "Good job. Was that so hard?"

She laughed breathlessly. "Harder than you would ever believe." She watched him button up his shirt and strip off his jacket. "Now what?"

"Hand me the case." She nodded and slid the briefcase across the tiles to him. He hoisted the massive metal block out of it and put it on the floor. She had no idea what he did, but he pressed a button or pulled a lever or something that made the rectangle snap open like it had hinges. She jumped almost involuntarily as he stood up and lifted the thing up onto his chest and held out his arms. She felt her jaw drop and she watched as the metal unfolded and expanded around his body, creating a cocoon of red and gold armor around him. The ARC reactor seemed to glow brighter as it was covered by a clear cover surrounded by yet more armor. When the entire process was done his whole body was decked in red and gold. He had taken his helmet off so she could still see his face, but other than that it was all armor. The thing was a marvel of engineering, sleek and shiny. For a moment she was completely speechless, but she sat back on her heels and put her hands on her hips, saying as loud as she dared, "Who carries a briefcase with metal armor and a spare freakin' heart to a fund raiser anyway?"

Tony rolled his eyes, flexing his muscles under the suit. "Obviously someone who is prepared for everything."

Serafina snorted. "Says the man wearing a tin can."

Tony looked indignant and tapped his knuckles against his body armor. "Hey, the stuff this suit is made if is the best bullet protection ever invented."

The redhead folded her legs next to her and crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at him from the floor. "Really? My favorite kind of protection is avoiding situations were people can shoot at me."

Tony seemed to contemplate her words, and shrugged nonchalantly. "That's good too."

"I thought so." The New York billionaire offered her a metal gloved hand and she took it, letting him help her to her feet. "Thank you." She brushed off her skirt and ran her fingers through her hair, glancing at the door. "So now what?"

"Now the superheroes-" the helmet and the mask came over his head and face. "-kick all kinds of major ass."

He reached for the doorknob, but she grabbed his wrist. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Well, I think I'm about to go stop a robbery. Why, did you have a different idea?"

"Going out there is suicide! Two-Face may be crazy, but he's smart, I'll give him that. He always has a contingency plan, it's part of how he operates." She held up two fingers. "Obsession with twos, remember? Two plans, a primary and a backup. It's like insurance, in case Batman shows up."

Tony's eyebrows shot to the ceiling under the helmet. "Batman?"

Serafina rolled her eyes. "You out-of-towners are so clueless." The man managed to look indignant even in a mask, but when he made a move to speak she held up a hand to silence him. "Look, it's not important. What is important is that Two-Face has experience dealing with heroes. And you have none dealing with him."

He raised a gloved finger in an "ah-ha!" position. "But he has none dealing with me."

"I just said-"

"You just said he's dealt with this Batman person. He's never met me before. I'm a totally new animal." She looked like she fiercely wanted to argue back, but he took her by the shoulders, effectively cutting off any objection she might have had on the tip of her tongue. "Look, I'll be fine. Just stay out of trouble, okay?"

She looked reluctant, but she nodded slowly anyway. Tony smiled and patted her on the head. "Good girl. I'll be back before you know it."

He started to move toward the door, but she stopped him again. "Wait."

He sighed in agitation and was about to bite back a reprimand when she pressed her ear to the door, listening intently. A smirk quirked up on her lips as she turned back to him. "Looks like you're a little tardy to the party."

His eyebrows knits together as she stepped aside and motioned for him to listen. The brunette pressed his ear to the door and heard gunshots and screaming on the other side. Serafina crossed her arms over her chest. "If you're going to go you better go now before there's nothing left for you to do."

He nodded briskly. "Right." However, instead of leaving, he bent over and reached into the briefcase at his feet. "Here, take this." He tossed her a Bluetooth earpiece, small, slender and dark blue. She fixed it in her ear, and almost immediately a British voice said in her ear, "Hello, Miss Grayson."

She raised her eyebrows and glanced at Tony, almost checking to see if she was insane before she hesitantly answered, "Uh, hi?"

"That's JARVIS. He'll keep you company. I'll be right back." And with that he was gone and the door was shut again, leaving her alone in a dark bathroom with his British AI. The redhead out her hands on her hips. "Does he do this often?"

"Unfortunately." The computer replied dryly.

"Fantastic." The youngest Grayson leaned against the bathroom counter. "So, JARVIS was it?" She took the computer's silence as a yes, so she continued. "Where do you fit into all this? The robot butler?"

"In crude terms, miss. I also assist Mr. Stark in operating the Iron Man suit."

She raised her eyebrows. "Iron Man, huh? So the suit is made of iron?"

"Not quite. It is a combination of titanium alloys, carbon, and a mixture of other materials, including inner padding to protect the body."

She whistled appreciatively. "Impressive. So you're actually in the suit?"

"Yes Miss Grayson. My programming is uploaded into the suits operating system."

"So you control the suit?"

"Not precisely. I monitor the status of the suit, analyze enemy weak points, and run to computational programs nessesary for the user to interface with the armor."

"So it's kinda like heightening Tony's senses."

"In a manner of speaking. I also monitor Mr. Stark's physical status: heart rate, brain activity, et cetera."

She nodded, forgetting for the moment that the computer couldn't see her. She was about to say something when she heard something slam into the door. The loud thump made her jump, and she glanced suspiciously at it, pushing off the counter and walking slowly toward it. "Are you monitoring Tony right now?"

"Yes. His body is functioning normally, and the suit is operating at maximum efficiency."

"Hm. Good to know." A beat of silence, then she threw her hands up in the air and reached for the doorknob. "To hell with this, I'm not waiting."

"Miss Grayson Mr. Stark told you-"

"Screw what Tony said! I can't just stand here doing nothing while he's outside the door dealing with one of Arkham's most insane inmates!"

She turned the knob and opened the door a crack, peeking out into ballroom. She couldn't see much more than a hectic blur of bright colors, gunmetal grey, flashes of grey that must have been Bruce, and bursts of bright light she assumed was Tony zipping around the room. She took advantage of the chaos and slipped out of the bathroom and ducked behind the punch table, which had somehow managed not to get tipped over. Serafina peered over the top, ducking when a bottle of wine smashed against the wall where her head was a second earlier. A man in black- one of Two Face's hired guns- was sprinting as fast as he could toward a semi-automatic machine gun lying in the floor next to the table she was hiding behind. The redhead stuck her foot out, tripping the man and send him sprawling across the floor. In a split second she was on top of him, forcing the guy into a sleeper hold. He struggled violently before going limp in her arms. She dropped his head on the hardwood floor with a thump, reaching over his body for the gun. It was a massive thing, heavy and sturdy. She hoisted it up to chest level, gripping it by the stock. She flipped it over and held it up like a baseball bat, effectively turning the firearm into a club. She flipped her hair out of her face, green eyes steeled and determined. And with that she jumped into the fray.

She abandoned the gun she had taken out a few men. As much satisfaction as it gave her to hear the dull thud of their bodies hitting the floor, it wasted too much energy to swing the weapon and then raise it up again. The thing felt like it weighed a ton. Secondly, she really hated the sound of the butt smacking the men in the back of the head, and almost unconsciously she knelt down next to them to make sure she hadn't split their skulls open. After she dropped the gun she used anything she could as a weapon: mostly a combination of punches and kicks Bruce had already taught her, though once she slammed a broken wooden chair leg against the side of a guy's head when he got just a little too close for comfort. She occasionally caught glimpses of Tony, bursting through seemingly unending waves of men and zipping through the room at unparalleled speeds, like he was a red and gold hummingbird on a caffeine high. That would make her smile, and then she would kick a man exceptionally hard and push him out of the way to take on the next one.

Between herself, Iron Man, and Batman (who she assumed was still around somewhere) they had the rest of the small army Two Face had brought down within minutes. Serafina beamed at the room full of unconscious men, and despite the fact that the room had been destroyed and she was positive that her dress was torn beyond repair she couldn't have felt more happy. She was standing at the front of the room, right next to where there had been a massive glass cradle filled with money supported by two polished oak columns. The glass had long since shattered, leaving shards of glass, green bills, and a pair of poles with nothing but air between them. She dusted off her hands and was about to walk off n search of Tony when she heard a splintering sound behind her. The redhead whipped around to one of the massive wooden pillars toppling over, set to fall right on top of her. In that split second her feet felt glued to the floor, so she put her arms up in some effort to shield her head and screamed as loud as she could.

And then she was flying. Wind tugged at her dress, threading through her scarlet curls like paper thin fingers. She could feel cool metal under her legs and under her back, carrying her as what sounded like rocket thrusters propelled the pair forward, cutting through the air like a knife through butter. She registered the loud crash of the column falling where she had been standing moments before. And just as soon as the sensation started, it stopped. She was being set back on her feet, high heels clicking lightly on the flooring. Serafina glanced up at Iron Man, who was giving her a disapproving look through his mask. "I thought I told you to stay in the bathroom."

She grinned mischievously. "You did. I just don't respond to authority figures very well."

"Serafina!" The youngest Grayson turned around to see her twin sprinting towards her as fast as he could. When he got to her he hugged her as tight. "God, I've been looking everywhere for you! What happened?"

"I'm fine, Dickie." She pulled back from her brother. "I was hiding but things just got a little out of hand."

She could see right through it, but she had to admit he put on a fantastic show of being a panicked young ward. "Have you seen Bruce?" She shook her head. "I'm going to go look for him. Two Face has been dealt with, so are you going to be okay on your own."

She nodded. "I'll be fine. Go find Bruce." With a quick smile and a nod in Iron Man's direction Dick was off in search of the Wayne, leaving Tony and Serafina alone again. She absentmindedly kick a pebble on the ground. "Thanks for grabbing me back there. I don,t much care for the idea of being a pancake."

"And thank you for replacing this," he tapped the glowing spot where the ARC reactor was. "I don't care for the idea of being dead."

She smiled and was about to make a snippy remark when just over his shoulder she spotted a formerly unconscious gunmen rise shakily to his feet and point a gun at the unsuspecting vigilante's back. Serafina went on autopilot. "Look out!"

She quickly slipped past the man in iron and kicked the gun out of the hired man's hands, a few practiced and well aimed blows bringing him to his knees. He kicked her legs out from under her, but her fingers found the neck of an empty champagne bottle, and she smashed it over the guy's skull. Almost instantly he slumped and fell on top of her, so she dropped the remainder of the bottle and pushed him off, rising to her feet. The redhead glanced back at her brunette companion, who was staring at her in astonishment. "You just… how did…"

Serafina laughed and threw an arm around his armor covered shoulders, leading him towards the back door. "Come on Tony. I have a few things to explain to you."

* * *

_**A/N: And there you have it! The longest chapter to date. A friend of mine from school actually suggested it, since he and I both are Iron Man fans , and I thought it was a cool idea, and then this happened. Hope y'all enjoyed it! Quick announcement: I will not be updating this story or 'Some Things Don't Stay Buried' for the next three weeks. I'm going to a summer camp where I will have little to no Internet access. I will be working on chapters while I'm there so I'll hopefully have some stuff when I get back, so PLEASE REVIEW! They are so incredibly encouraging to me, and I love seeing what y'all think. Also, leave an idea if you have one for something you'd like to see. I've got a few ideas, but you guys come up with such fun and creative ones, and I'm really dying to see them. For now though, stay traught!**_


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